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.