Milk-the last of an era

sunny and breezy

 

When I drew this cartoon, I had no idea that Governor Fitial would resign.  I was inspired to create this because of the tradition during Lent to "give up" some pleasure or activity as a means of self-sacrifice.  I thought it would be funny to think of Governor Fitial "giving up" reading the Variety. It has, after all, called for his impeachment or his resignation for years now.

I also submitted several other cartoons, now untimely--the Governor sending Valentines to the Senators (as a means of wooing them to vote against impeachment), the Governor on-stage in an opera scene handing a bouquet with extra dollar bills stuffed into it to the Gotterdamerung maiden representing the 18th Senate, and a comparison of the new year of the snake with our new year to impeach--lots of fireworks and a chance for a new beginning.

With the resignation, Benigno Repeki Fitial is no longer Governor.  I am hopeful that the need for the stress relief of political cartooning will abate.

Things already seem better with Governor Eloy Inos--he has at least renewed the contract of Alan Fletcher at CUC. Fitial was so intent on monkeying around at CUC that we lost an able director (Abe Utu Malae) and were on the verge of losing Fletcher, also educated and experienced in utilities management.  Fitial was obviously upset with Fletcher who refused to back the very-hinky contract with Saipan Development LLC. Inos understands that CUC must have SOMEONE in charge who knows something, and if Fletcher leaves, the vacancy will be horrible.

There there is the arrest finally of Joseph Crisostimo for the murder of Emy Romero is reassuring.  Although the DPS and AG assure us that the long delay (more than a year since her murder) had nothing to do with Governor Fitial or his political pressure, you still have to wonder why it took so long when we were told last October or November by Joey San Nicolas that the lab reports were back and there would be an announcement imminently--and yet it took 3+ months to make that arrest! And coincidentally it happened only after Fitial left office. 

I am so relieved that Fitial is no longer our Governor.  Fitial at least got it right in his letter of resignation-his stepping down is good for our community.

2013-02-08 Milk

These were published by the Variety on the dates mentioned, but not in the order in which I prepared them. And of course, there is always a lag of time between an event, my art, and then submission and publication.

 

In a surprise move, the Fitial supporters (now the House minority) resigned from the impeachment committee. This was principally Teresita Santos and Felicidad Ogumoro.  This cartoon was inspired by wondering why they would do that. Well, really, it had to be because they are loyal guard for the governor and he told them to.  So I show them as junkyard dogs and Governor Fitial reining them in.  In my original, I had labeled their names on the dog collars, but MV eliminated those. They did leave the dog tags showing both 17th and 18th House membership.

The little people simply state the obvious--why would they resign?  No wonder, though, really. They resigned because they were told to.  

This is possibly bad news.  Instead of trying to obfuscate or gain time or drag things out or any other tactic to fight in the House, the Governor now seems in a hurry to get to the senate. That can only mean he thinks he's got the senators in his pocket already.

More Milk-our sinking ship

Bright and sunny day, but uncomfortably cool night.

 

The CNMI has been sinking for the entire six years of the Fitial administration, but it has never been in as bad shape as in 2012.  Fitial continues to issue "emergency" declarations to bludgeon autonomous agencies into his control and to hide his wheeling and dealing from the public bidding, open procurement process required by law.  In 2013, one month into the year, we already have had two emergency declarations "renewed"--as if there is really any emergency! These are nothing but declarations that say I'm incompetent and these agencies are completely dysfunctional.  We continue to sink and the emergency declarations are doing nothing to plug the leaks or repair our vessel.

I forgot to mention--I heard the Mighty Mouse theme song in my head when I wrote the caption for Fitial.

More Milk-Fitial evades reporters

Unseasonably cold. Windy, rainy, and just down-right chilly.

 

This political cartoon was inspired by a recent report in the Marianas Variety about how the Governor slipped out after a session with Willie Tan and the Governor's cabinet and other important government officials. Instead of meeting with waiting reporters and answering basic questions, the Governor sent word that he was still in meetings. The reporters waited until they were eventually told the Governor had left the building by another exit.

His response was hilarious. He said he hadn't run away from the reporters, they had failed to catch him! Then he said that certain reporters should consider why they had such difficulty getting information from the government when the others didn't--basically admitting that he plays favorites, gives stories only to the Tribune (a Willy Tan mouthpiece), and has no intention whatever of being subjected to questions from any but the sycophantic.

Just two weeks ago he promised greater transparency.  Well, we see clearly what exactly this Governor is and how very undemocratic he is.

Marianas Milk-Fitial repeats his mistakes

Bright and sunny with a strong breeze continuing to bring cool relief.

This cartoon was inspired by the Governor's actions in the week following  his SOCA (State of the Commonwealth Address) where he said he had made mistakes but learned from them, and that he would not repeat them.

Of course, in the SOCA he blamed the Federal government for failing to help enough. Since then he has made no progress on paying the contributions owed to NMIRF. He has abandoned his former plan pushing for pension obligation bonds (reported after I drew this cartoon), with his new mantra being we need "new" investment (and his latest deal with E-land for the purchase of Aqua Resort Club).  He has said that he must continue with strong government employment practices and indicated he wants to hire more, despite our bloated government payroll. He has already issued an RFP for a new power plant, despite the questionable need for such an expensive purchase at this time.  He has shelved the request for extradition of Ed Buckingham and there appears no likelihood he will do so.  And of course, he is gearing up to defend himself in the Senate, recognizing he will lose in the House on the impeachment.

He obviously has not learned anything.

Coincidentally, the Governor's photo in today's Variety with the Mount Carmel School (celebrating 40 years of Catholic education) shows him wearing a yellow tie.  :-)

Since I drew this cartoon, the Governor has also avoided the MV news reporters, despite his promise of greater transparency.

Milk--lame ducks

January sun and tropical heat

 

Governor Fitial decided to give his State of the Commonwealth Address to the House of Representatives on the last day of the 17th Legislature. He is a lame duck (can't run for governor again) and he gave his SOCA to the lamest of lame ducks on their very last day in office.  Included in the group were his supporters who lost their re-election in the last election--going from a CNMI Republican party majority to a mere 4 house members, one of whom is new.  

His SOCA was ridiculous, but it did contain his admission of making mistakes.  A mild statement for the corruption and complete ruination of the CNMI he has caused.  

In this cartoon, I have crime clouds and corruption lightning, CUC in the oil-slicked pond (a reference to the CUC fiascos we've seen-from the ridlyme scandal to the current PPA sole source give-away).  One lame duck is smeared with mud from the NMIRF quagmire, caused by the governor paying roughly 41% of employee contributions into the Fund, making it obviously underfunded and putting it on its deathbed.  There is also the health jungle, a reference to the horrible state of the CHC, largely caused or exaccerbated when the governor decided to create a new governing board and then change funding from about $31 million a year to $5 million a year, and nailing the coffin with the assignment of Juan Nekai Babauta as the CEO. Three immediate jeopardy declarations, the threat of losing our medicare/medicaid certification and now fortunately some federal help still means the jungle of healthcare is a very real threat.

The first little guy mentions the obvious-that one lame duck is talking to the other lame ducks. The second one says "enough already," which is the sentiment that all the voters who voted out those 17th legislature lame ducks embraced.

Marianas Milk-wolf in sheep's clothing

beautiful day, cool, breezy evening

This cartoon was inspired by recent events involving the Saipan Development LLC agreement with Governor Fitial to build a power plant for Saipan at the cost of $190 million dollars.  The PPA (power plant agreement) has come under a tremendous amount of scrutiny and criticism, with CUC officials saying it is a terrible deal, that it lacks the assurances and contract terms to protect the CNMI in even the most basic way as a party to a contract, that it is exorbitant in cost, and that there is no need for a new power plant.  There has also been concern that the PPA was tied to SDLLC having a side deal about the port development, but that does not appear in the contract. The PPA was signed for the CNMI by Governor Fitial and then-AG Ed Buckingham. Of course, this contract was done as a sole-source deal without compliance with procurement regulations. When it became known, the Governor took the position that he had the power under an emergency declaration that suspended procurement regs--a declaration he made for the purported reason that CUC wasn't making quick enough progress on green energy.

The most recent developments saw the new Attorney General, Joey P. San Nicolas, issuing a "legal" opinion  in which he says the Governor did not have authority to enter into the deal because it did not comply with procurement regulations, and specifically that the emergency declaration under which the Governor was "running" CUC only extended to green energy matters and that the PPA, which is for a traditional diesel plant, was insufficient to authorize the governor to have such power. 

The same opinion that discredits the PPA as a valid contract also absolves the governor of all liability for the PPA and instead blames former AG Ed Buckingham. Joey says the governor "relied" on Ed's opinion about the legality of the contract and poor guy, he didn't know that Ed was wrong.

The "opinion" is both brilliant and obscene.  It is brilliant because it forces the governor to admit he exceeded his power in entering into the PPA.  I suspect the governor wanted some way out of the deal so that he could argue against his impeachment based on the PPA.  But even if the governor wanted out of the deal, having to swallow the bit about not having authority must be hard.  Fitial has acted as if he has authority to do anything he wants.

But the decision is also obscene because it employs a lie and scapegoats an unpopular guy who, for all his faults, is not responsible for this deal.  It is simply incredible to say the governor relied on Ed's advice. The implication is that the governor would not have signed the PPA if Ed said it was illegal.  But the governor eliminated CUC's participation in the negotiations as soon as they started raising concerns about the deal; the governor ignored the dozens of issues raised in e-mails by his attorneys as shown during the impeachment hearings last September; and the governor actually negotiated for the PPA before he had even issued any emergency declaration or got any legal advice. There is simply nothing to suggest that he was motivated by Ed.  Furthermore, nothing in his history shows that he would have listened to Ed's advice.  Ed was a tool--the governor told him what he wanted Ed to do, and Ed did it.

And that is what appears to be happening with Joey.  The governor wants out of the PPA for his own political survival, but he will never take responsibility. He will always find a scapegoats. And now he has Joey doing just what Ed did--giving "legal" opinions to justify whatever the governor wants to do.

The wolf in sheep's clothing may not be the best metaphor for Joey, but it is what came to mind. 

Milk-The Wizard of Oz

Overcast but perfect temperature!

This cartoon was inspired by the attempts to shore up the Governor's waning political power.  Ken Mahmood and ? Osborne are in the CNMI promoting their "done deal" for a $190 million dollar power plant. As part of that, they continue to insist that everything is just hunky dory.  Last week, they were saying how impeachment would be bad for the CNMI because it would send a message to investors that the CNMI is unstable.

HAHA!  No, impeachment would send a message to investors that we oppose corruption and it is safe to invest here.

This week they are screaming that they are not corrupt; that they are honest; that there is no evidence of anything amiss in their contract with Fitial for the power plant purchase.

Well, that's for another cartoon.  Seriously, so many things are wrong with the deal. Mahmood and Osborne's opinions are nothing but their wish to get rich off the backs of our children, grand-children and great grandchildren.  They are scum. That's my opinion.



Marianas Milk-the Shopaholic

December offers perfect weather--a hint of coolness in sunny, bright days.

This political cartoon relates to the report last week that the CNMI had engaged in negotiations with people in Alaska about the purchase of an $80 million ice cutter named the Susitna.  Apparently Ambrose Bennett was looking for a paid gig and thought the federal transportation money might provide an avenue for him.  The Alaska owners were trying to get rid of the Susitna because they couldn't afford its maintenance. It was commissioned and specifically built for them, to carry automobiles as a ferry between villages in the north, with ice-cutting capabilities due to the area in which is was set to operate.  Although they had the Susitna built with federal money and also got a new ferry terminal, the villages failed to get the necessary docking and ramps built for loading the cars on and off. They are now paying huge storage bills.

And so they are trying to sell the Susitna.  Enter the CNMI...also without any docking and ramp facilities to load and unload cars onto such a ferry; minus the terminal; and certainly without purchase money...and obviously without ice in the ocean so that all of the heavy equipment for cutting through ice is completely unnecessary (and probably would add to the operational costs and fuel costs).

Fortunately, the news is that the CNMI is not going to go through with purchase.  But that we would have sent serious investigations into this particular ferry, and continue to pursue it after initial information came out that makes it so clearly inappropriate for us...

Well, it just seemed like a shopaholic moment...

The little guys--one comments on one of the basic types of shopaholic thinking. The other brings us back to the reality here. It's time to impeach the governor.

Today's Milk

Hot, hot, hot. And humid.

  

This cartoon was inspired by the pie chart graph of the CNMI budget that appeared last week in the newspaper (the Tribune, I think).  In that real chart, the governor's office and "administration costs" took a disproportionately large chunk of the budget--bigger than CHC!  This humorous version exaggerates the reality to make a point.  The CNMI budget does not serve the interests of the people!

Marianas Milk

Still and quiet night.

 

Headline news last week reported that the Nutrition Assistance Program had $420,000 in "excess" food stamp money leftover. Governor Fitial said he wanted to transfer that money to his account to hire more people to work at NAP rather than give it out in food stamps.  This after food stamps have been cut and cut and recipients are receiving a fraction of what they would receive, and far less than the needy in our neighboring Guam.

The cartoon plays on Queen Antoinette, who said, when told that the poor had not bread, "let them eat cake."  I wrote "let them drink milk" because of the Governor's past comments to Senators to drink milk. The little people just comment on crumbs as that is all that the poor get, and the guillotine, which was created and used in France and is strongly associated in my memory with the use of guillotine. 

Sunny and hot-but occasional cool breezes.

This cartoon attempts to highlight the misdirected priorities of our current administration.  Unseating a successful and popular (and honest) delegate in the US House of Representatives seems to be far more important than the task of governing or addressing the serious problems of crime, crumbling economy, and ruined infrastructure. While daily reports confirm that government spending is out of control, budgeting is based on magical thinking, crimes go unsolved and the people suffer, huge ads supporting Acha Demapan in Republican red and letters to the editor in her support take precedence.

The little guys comment that casinos still seem to be a priority-and they are as yet another attempt to ramrod casinos down the throats of Saipan voters has been recently raised. We'll see a lot more of that after the election (unless the people vote more intelligently than they have in the past--and there's little reason to think they will).

The people are not the priority of the administration.  Nor are they the priority of the voters--who vote their individual fortunes and pockets, not for hte public good.

Happy Halloween and Milk

It rained a lot today but now is hot and muggy again, although past midnight.

 

This cartoon just evolved from a doodle and was finished before I knew it.  My subconscious must have been drawing from those old Nixon masks I remember, and an unpublished Milk cartoon where my little guys referred to the governor as a "master of disguise."  We can only hope that Fitial's corrupt regime does not spawn a cadre of similar-thinking, similar-acting children.

Friday Milk

It's just past midnight and pouring down rain.

 

I have been trying to figure out how our Governor continues to lure voters to his side.  This image just popped into my head.  It is, of course, a twist on the poem-step into my parlour, said the the spider to the fly.  Although the fly resists many advances, in the end, he gives in to flattery when the spider speaks of his mirror and how good the fly will appear if he looks into it.  Politics in the CNMI is sort of like that.  Promises of better times, how good people will see things, the lure of what they want to hear and believe.  Flattery (and other forms of corruption) are at the core of what is happening here now.  Unless and until we change it...

 

Friday's "Purposeless" Cartoon

hot and overcast.

This cartoon was inspired by George Hasselback's turn at the impeachment hearings.  He gave clear and concise testimony about the ARRA contract between the CNMI government and Mike Ada and how it violated the CNMI's statutory provisions.  He was rashly accused by Daling Ogumoro of having a "personal agenda" against Ed Buckingham because George quit the AG's office when Ed pulled the plug on prosecution of a case George was handling.

The evidence George presented at the hearings was clear and included a federal review report noting the probable CNMI violations by the ARRA contract.  So I thought of a clear window--shattered by Governor Fitial's sole-source deals, in this case the Ada $400,000 waste.

I title this post "purposeless" cartoon because in today's Variety, the Governor's Press Secretary, Angel Demapan, takes a pot shot at me in his tribute to Ruth Tighe, saying Ruth earned respect of friends and foes because she didn't engage in "name-calling, childish acts like manipulating personal photos or drawing purposeless comics."  Angel chiding the governor's foes for name-calling? How ridiculous as the Governor is on record calling the people of Rota and Tinian "stupid" and calling Alan Fletcher a "liar" and does more name-calling than anyone. As for the rest, Wendy swirls and photo-shops photos, so I think that part of the comment is aimed at her.  But the cartooning dig is obviously meant for me (and possibly Mitch Westland who has also contributed an editorial cartoon recently).

But seriously, Ruth Tighe of all people, would approve of the cartoons.  She appreciated all forms of political expression.  And Ruth,  more than anyone, as a librarian and highly educated and literate person, would understand that political comment through cartooning is not purposeless.  It has been an American fixture of journalism since the Civil War.  Beloved children's book author and illustrator Theodore Geisl, bka Dr. Seuss, drew more than 400 political cartoons during WWII.   The best satirists win national and international prestigious awards. Political cartooning is hardly "purposeless."

As described here, it is

"an enduring presence in American political culture. In its telling is exemplified those salient themes dear to the collective scholarship of the medium, such as it is-- the power of the giants of the genre to fuse creative caricature, clever situational transpositions, and honest indignation to arouse the populace and alter for the better the course of human events. "

Roger A. Fischer, Them Damned Pictures: Explorations in American Cartoon Art. (North Haven CT: Archon Books) 1996.

I do not claim to be the best, or even good at political cartooning, but I do understand the need for the three considerations-creative caricature, clever transpositions of familiar situations, and honest indignation--all for the purpose to arouse the populace to a better course of action.

For more on political cartoons and lesson plans for middle and high school on the subject: see this page at cincinnati.com

More Milk

It's hot and muggy today, and still overcast but with sun, causing a glare.

This cartoon was inspired by the "whistleblower" concept.  The referee (the whistleblowers like Glenn Hunter and George Hasselback, and even the House members Joe Deleon Guerrero, Ray Yumul, Tony I. Sablan, Janet Maratita, etc.) is too little and ineffective to stop the onslaught of the 'roided up thuggish football players.  The illegal contracts in the CNMI have been pouring in--the Mike Ada contract was unethical, the CHC contract that got stopped in its tracks with a newly created Boise outfit, the $190M CUC contract for an unnecessary diesel power plant with another newly created outfit run by con-man Ken Mahmood,  the latest sole source contract for around $350, 000 (I've actually forgotten the details)...they're just draining the CNMI of what little money we've got and are piling up faster than anyone can stop.

The little people in the 'toon include a cheerleader concerned that Team Fitial isn't listening to the ref's whistle and her counter-part, Daling Ogumoro, with her ridiculous comment echoing that made to Alan Fletcher, suggesting that he should have stopped the governor from signing the sole source CUC power plant deal.

Drink Milk

Overcast, with a bit of sun. A heavy atmosphere.

Alan Fletcher was called to testify before the House Impeachment committee. He gave detailed and comprehensive testimony that included his opinion that the $190 million, sole-source contract with Ken Mahmood was a bad deal for the CNMI, that it was not needed and wouldn't save consumers money. The Governor responded in the media by calling Fletcher a liar.

I originally had Fletcher saying "nanny-nanny boo boo, I can tell on you-oo" because there was something of that feeling in the reports of his testimony, but I decided that could be more a function of the reporting rather than Fletcher's actual testimony.  It took some guts and professionalism to give his testimony.

(Later Fletcher came back to the committee, said he told the truth and didn't know why the Governor was slamming him, and further testified that he refused to sign the contract when asked to do so and told the governor it needed more analysis.)

Fletcher is often seen wearing Island-print shirts. The Governor usually has his big smile in place, no matter what trash he's spewing.

Marianas Milk

I created this cartoon based after the competing rallies--this one from the support Fitial party.  How ironic that they had this big sign complaining of the "do nothing Legislature" when most of the House are completely devoted to doing whatever Governor Fitial wants.  They are his puppets, and of course they do nothing but what he wants. When I first made this cartoon, I labeled the puppets--T. Santos, Basa, and Fred DLG--all illustrious members of the House who seem to be among the Governor's puppets. 

Marianas Milk-today

The CNMI is in a total state of disarray. Governor Fitial claims innocence.  Makes me think of a child destroying the house.  And as the little guys say, makes me think of Richard Nixon during Watergate.

Today's political cartoon

This cartoon was inspired by the many, many times our Governor has insisted on his way, despite what the people want.  The people did vote for him, and re-elected him, but they also want the central government to pay its share of CUC bills so our power rates don't keep getting jacked up, to pay the NMIRF for employee contributions so government workers will have a retirement fund, to maintain agencies like the Civil Service Commission by appointing members and the DPS by appointing competent chiefs.  Well, the list is very long... The governor is calloused to those he governs.  The little guy is exhausted but perks up at the word "change."  The other guy is flat broke and "change" just means money to him.