Saipan Sucks
Encyclopedia
Saipan Sucks is a politically
and socially critic
al website about the United States
's Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), particularly its principal island Saipan
. The website seeks to call attention to what it sees as systemic societal corruption
in the CNMI. It has been in existence since 2001 and has been reported in a variety of ways in local, regional, and international newsprint and magazine outlets, on ABC Radio Australia, and Internet forum
s and blogs, including the personal blog of travel book author David Stanley. The website has been the subject of intense debate and scrutiny by the CNMI government, which has threatened to sue the website's author.
Saipan Sucks seeks to call attention to what it sees as systemic societal problems in the CNMI that are supported by misuse of United States tax
payer money. Press outlets have quoted the following excerpt from the website:
The website presents allegations of corruption
, racism
, nepotism
, jury-rigging, worker exploitation
, employment discrimination
, and mismanagement of the CNMI tourism
industry by local CNMI officials, and seeks to warn U.S. mainlanders about moving to the islands to accept employment offers.
". Stemming from its reported investigations, the CNMI government has threatened to sue
the website's author for libel or defamation. The website author's response to the CNMI government was to state that they have "apparently never heard of the First Amendment
to the United States Constitution
… Is it possible the investigators don't recognize political
and social commentary
when they see it?"
In November 2006, a local environmental group, Beautify CNMI!, decried the website's high PageRank
in search engines such as Google
, and the fact that anyone who searches with the keyword
"Saipan" could find the website in the top-ten search result positions. The group published a plan to counter the website's ranking through a campaign of linkspamming via Google bomb
ing and text anchoring
.
All along, counter-critics who are either Chamorros
(indigenous people of Saipan) or those otherwise knowledgeable about the CNMI have maintained that, although Saipan Sucks uses hyperbole
as a literary device, much or most of what it states is true and should be heeded.
, who the daily reported as having "disliked his position" in the CNMI. The same day, a regional publication denied the claim, reiterating that the author or authors remain anonymous. Saipan Sucks closes by stating, "As for the authors of this essay, our days in Micronesia
have ended … In all likelihood we shall remain happily for the rest of our days ensconced in anonymous Longnesia, suffering, with a little luck, from a selective am-nesia. Hence our name – Forgetabilia."
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
and socially critic
Critic
A critic is anyone who expresses a value judgement. Informally, criticism is a common aspect of all human expression and need not necessarily imply skilled or accurate expressions of judgement. Critical judgements, good or bad, may be positive , negative , or balanced...
al website about the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
's Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), particularly its principal island Saipan
Saipan
Saipan is the largest island of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands , a chain of 15 tropical islands belonging to the Marianas archipelago in the western Pacific Ocean with a total area of . The 2000 census population was 62,392...
. The website seeks to call attention to what it sees as systemic societal corruption
Political corruption
Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...
in the CNMI. It has been in existence since 2001 and has been reported in a variety of ways in local, regional, and international newsprint and magazine outlets, on ABC Radio Australia, and Internet forum
Internet forum
An Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages. They differ from chat rooms in that messages are at least temporarily archived...
s and blogs, including the personal blog of travel book author David Stanley. The website has been the subject of intense debate and scrutiny by the CNMI government, which has threatened to sue the website's author.
Content
Tax
To tax is to impose a financial charge or other levy upon a taxpayer by a state or the functional equivalent of a state such that failure to pay is punishable by law. Taxes are also imposed by many subnational entities...
payer money. Press outlets have quoted the following excerpt from the website:
Nepotism rules on the islands. Fueled by money paid by American taxpayers and diverted to the far-off territory, politicians run for office primarily for the sake of being in a position to appoint their relatives to high-paying sinecures.
The website presents allegations of corruption
Political corruption
Political corruption is the use of legislated powers by government officials for illegitimate private gain. Misuse of government power for other purposes, such as repression of political opponents and general police brutality, is not considered political corruption. Neither are illegal acts by...
, racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
, nepotism
Nepotism
Nepotism is favoritism granted to relatives regardless of merit. The word nepotism is from the Latin word nepos, nepotis , from which modern Romanian nepot and Italian nipote, "nephew" or "grandchild" are also descended....
, jury-rigging, worker exploitation
Exploitation
This article discusses the term exploitation in the meaning of using something in an unjust or cruel manner.- As unjust benefit :In political economy, economics, and sociology, exploitation involves a persistent social relationship in which certain persons are being mistreated or unfairly used for...
, employment discrimination
Employment discrimination
Employment discrimination is discrimination in hiring, promotion, job assignment, termination, and compensation. It includes various types of harassment....
, and mismanagement of the CNMI tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
industry by local CNMI officials, and seeks to warn U.S. mainlanders about moving to the islands to accept employment offers.
Criticism
Since July 2001, shortly after Saipan Sucks was published, CNMI government officials criticized the website's anonymity and characterized it as a "smear campaignSmear campaign
A smear campaign, smear tactic or simply smear is a metaphor for activity that can harm an individual or group's reputation by conflation with a stigmatized group...
". Stemming from its reported investigations, the CNMI government has threatened to sue
Lawsuit
A lawsuit or "suit in law" is a civil action brought in a court of law in which a plaintiff, a party who claims to have incurred loss as a result of a defendant's actions, demands a legal or equitable remedy. The defendant is required to respond to the plaintiff's complaint...
the website's author for libel or defamation. The website author's response to the CNMI government was to state that they have "apparently never heard of the First Amendment
First Amendment to the United States Constitution
The First Amendment to the United States Constitution is part of the Bill of Rights. The amendment prohibits the making of any law respecting an establishment of religion, impeding the free exercise of religion, abridging the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press, interfering...
to the United States Constitution
United States Constitution
The Constitution of the United States is the supreme law of the United States of America. It is the framework for the organization of the United States government and for the relationship of the federal government with the states, citizens, and all people within the United States.The first three...
… Is it possible the investigators don't recognize political
Freedom of speech in the United States
Freedom of speech in the United States is protected by the First Amendment to the United States Constitution and by many state constitutions and state and federal laws, with the exception of obscenity, defamation, incitement to riot, and fighting words, as well as harassment, privileged...
and social commentary
Social commentary
Social commentary is the act of rebelling against an individual, or a group of people by rhetorical means, or commentary on social issues or society...
when they see it?"
In November 2006, a local environmental group, Beautify CNMI!, decried the website's high PageRank
PageRank
PageRank is a link analysis algorithm, named after Larry Page and used by the Google Internet search engine, that assigns a numerical weighting to each element of a hyperlinked set of documents, such as the World Wide Web, with the purpose of "measuring" its relative importance within the set...
in search engines such as Google
Google
Google Inc. is an American multinational public corporation invested in Internet search, cloud computing, and advertising technologies. Google hosts and develops a number of Internet-based services and products, and generates profit primarily from advertising through its AdWords program...
, and the fact that anyone who searches with the keyword
Keyword (Internet search)
An index term, subject term, subject heading, or descriptor, in information retrieval, is a term that captures the essence of the topic of a document. Index terms make up a controlled vocabulary for use in bibliographic records. They are an integral part of bibliographic control, which is the...
"Saipan" could find the website in the top-ten search result positions. The group published a plan to counter the website's ranking through a campaign of linkspamming via Google bomb
Google bomb
The terms Google bomb and Googlewashing refer to practices, such as creating large numbers of links, that cause a web page to have a high ranking for searches on unrelated or off topic keyword phrases, often for comical or satirical purposes...
ing and text anchoring
Anchor text
The anchor text, link label or link text is the visible, clickable text in a hyperlink. The words contained in the anchor text can determine the ranking that the page will receive by search engines. Since 1998, some web browsers have added the ability to show a tooltip for a hyperlink before it is...
.
All along, counter-critics who are either Chamorros
Chamorros
The Chamorro people, or Chamoru people, are the indigenous peoples of the Mariana Islands, which include the American territory of Guam and the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands in Micronesia. Today, significant Chamoru populations also exist in several U.S. states...
(indigenous people of Saipan) or those otherwise knowledgeable about the CNMI have maintained that, although Saipan Sucks uses hyperbole
Hyperbole
Hyperbole is the use of exaggeration as a rhetorical device or figure of speech. It may be used to evoke strong feelings or to create a strong impression, but is not meant to be taken literally....
as a literary device, much or most of what it states is true and should be heeded.
Author
Saipan Sucks is written by a person or persons going by the pseudonym "Forgetabilia". Reported investigations carried out by the CNMI government in July 2001 led to an alleged belief about a real identity behind this persona. Later, on November 16, 2006, a CNMI daily alleged that Saipan Sucks was written by a former CNMI Assistant Attorney GeneralAttorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general, or attorney-general, is the main legal advisor to the government, and in some jurisdictions he or she may also have executive responsibility for law enforcement or responsibility for public prosecutions.The term is used to refer to any person...
, who the daily reported as having "disliked his position" in the CNMI. The same day, a regional publication denied the claim, reiterating that the author or authors remain anonymous. Saipan Sucks closes by stating, "As for the authors of this essay, our days in Micronesia
Micronesia
Micronesia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising thousands of small islands in the western Pacific Ocean. It is distinct from Melanesia to the south, and Polynesia to the east. The Philippines lie to the west, and Indonesia to the southwest....
have ended … In all likelihood we shall remain happily for the rest of our days ensconced in anonymous Longnesia, suffering, with a little luck, from a selective am-nesia. Hence our name – Forgetabilia."
See also
- Anonymity and politics
- Demographics of the Northern Mariana IslandsDemographics of the Northern Mariana IslandsThis article is about the demographic features of the population of the Northern Mariana Islands, including population density, ethnicity, education level, health of the populace, economic status, religious affiliations and other aspects of the population....
- Economy of the Northern Mariana IslandsEconomy of the Northern Mariana IslandsThe economy of the Northern Mariana Islands benefits substantially from financial assistance from the United States. The rate of funding has declined as locally generated government revenues have grown. An agreement for the years 1986 to 1992 entitled the islands to $228 million for capital...
- GarapanGarapanGarapan is the largest village and the center of the tourism industry on the island of Saipan, which is a part of the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands ....
- MicronesiaMicronesiaMicronesia is a subregion of Oceania, comprising thousands of small islands in the western Pacific Ocean. It is distinct from Melanesia to the south, and Polynesia to the east. The Philippines lie to the west, and Indonesia to the southwest....
- Northern Mariana Islands Territory ConstitutionNorthern Mariana Islands Territory ConstitutionThe Constitution of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands is the governing document of that United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and was drafted and approved between 1976 and 1978. Being the constitution of a Federal territory the United States Congress reserves...
- Northern Marianas CollegeNorthern Marianas CollegeNorthern Marianas College is a two-year community college located in the United States Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands . The college was founded in 1981 by Agnes McPheteres in a renovated former United Nations Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands hospital on Saipan where its main...
- Politics of the Northern Mariana IslandsPolitics of the Northern Mariana IslandsPolitics of the Northern Mariana Islands takes place in a framework of a presidential representative democratic system, whereby the Governor is head of government, and of a pluriform multi-party system. The Northern Mariana Islands are a commonwealth in political union with the United States....
- United Nations Trust TerritoriesUnited Nations Trust TerritoriesUnited Nations trust territories were the successors of the remaining League of Nations mandates and came into being when the League of Nations ceased to exist in 1946. All of the trust territories were administered through the UN Trusteeship Council...