Ladies and Gentlemen 

Welcome aboard Colonial airlines flight 2016 

with nonstop service from The United States of America to the island of Pågan

located in the Marianas archipelago just 330 miles north of Guahan

Pågan is home to a thriving ecosystem of fresh lakes, diverse wildlife, 

and the indigenous CHamoru people 

our first priority on every flight is safety so before we depart,

federal regulations require 

that all passengers ignore the Environmental Impact Statement 

and give their full support to invasive and destructive military practices.

The purpose of which
is to conduct training and testing activities
to ensure that the Navy meets its mission, 

which is to maintain, train, and equip combat ready naval forces 

capable of winning wars, deterring aggression, 

and maintaining freedom of the seas. 

This mission is achieved in part by
conducting training and testing within the study area. 

in the unlikely event that the military decide not to use Pågan for their 

live firing ranges

deep sea sonars 

bombing exercises

and underwater explosives

There are still 14 other islands in the archipelago 

that the military has deemed ready for takeoff

we ask at this time that you store all carry on military readiness weapons 

in the overhead compartments 

and shut off all colonization devices 

as it may interfere with the cultural preservation of our people

The plane will be taking off shortly 

So please, fasten your seatbelts, sit back and enjoy the flight.

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there is an island

where the wildlife run free

plants and animals Guahan has not seen for generations flourish there 

latte and lusong are nearly as numerous as the trees 

the native jungles, once home to chamoru people 

have been empty for over 35 years 

The landscape stretches like arms 

Rocks jutting out of the reef like fingertips

Clawing at the ocean 

As if it knew that its people were just out of reach

this island is angry.

it wants its people back.  

and volcanic rage awaits the military forces that attempt to replace them.

In the pacific 

Our people are tied to the land by our heartstrings

Our lungs form mountains that breath life into our oceans 

The survival of our islands are rooted in our wombs

We cant let them turn them into tombs 

We have to choose whether it is worth it to lose who we are and were were from 

We may be some string of islands in the middle of nowhere 

But right here, right now 

I refuse to be silent 

Refuse to be obedient 

Refuse to be some string of islands sitting pretty on the neck of foreign power 

The jewels of the Pacific belong in the hands of the indigenous

On Pågan so many things are endangered

The wildlife

The people 

The heritage 

The culture 

And these days the military can't seem to tell the difference 

And I guess my point is that there isn't any 

Every bomb dropped sends a shock through our system 

Every test leaves a mess of cultural carnage 

Until all that is left will be military readiness

Are you ready for this? 

For us to be ripped apart by greedy fingers 

Surgeons harvesting islands like organs 

Until Pågan becomes a fantom limb 

And they’ll try to convince us that it was never there in the first place 

was never ours in the first place 

This place just 330 miles north of here 

Is hanging on by a single heartstring 

And no matter what the military does

It cant stop this heart from beating.