It has now been reported that Ombudsman Jim Benedetto will soon be joining the U.S. Attorney's office in Saipan to be a federal prosecutor. Although this was first reported in the press very recently, it has been widely known around the island for some time. For quite some time, a number of anonymous commenters on this blog and others had been savaging the "Ombudsperson", accusing him of all sorts of misdeeds and attacking his character. Shortly after news that Benedetto would be joining the U.S. Attorney's office hit the coconut wireless, those anonymous commenters abruptly changed their tune and started giving Benedetto (well deserved) compliments for his integrity, fairness and commitment to the CNMI. Wow, what a coincidence!
For the record, Jim Benedetto has been an outstanding, dedicated and able public servant. He has always been fair, and has demonstrated that he cares deeply for all of the people of the CNMI. We wish him the best of luck in his new position, and commend U.S. Attorney Leonardo Rapadas for having the guts to make such an outstanding choice. And, unlike some of those Benedetto-obsessed anonymous commenters, we're not just saying that because we're afraid of pissing him off!
9 comments:
Jim Benedetto may be outstanding, dedicated and able, but let's not kid ourselves -- he was not a public servant. His master was not the CNMI public, it was the US Department of Interior, and he willingly put his talents to the advancement of Interior's agenda, namely the aggrandizing of federal power and the unilateral restructuring of CNMI society. Dedication and ability in the service of such ends is not something I am prepared to praise.
Benedetto had no venedetto.
The Middle Road said...
a number of anonymous commenters on this blog and others had been savaging the "Ombudsperson", accusing him of all sorts of misdeeds and attacking his character.
Perhaps it is because English may not be your native language, but most readers of this blog recognize references to the term “the Ombudsperson” as describing political correctness to a hyper degree, a parody that even Jim can appreciate.
Though he most certainly would not agree with that characterization of the reason for the very existence of the Ombudsman's office itself, he did write a published editorial letter pointing out some of the many falsehoods or exaggerations of the infamous Ms. article that garnered so much publicity.
He was in the unenviable task of having to placate and cooperate with some of the most rabid activists, and foreign national workers willing to do almost anything to get green cards -- including smearing the CNMI's reputation and lying about employment complaints -- while at the same time treating them fairly and maintaining their trust while helping the many true victims.
I would submit that your characterization, Island Girl, of blog posters “savaging” soon-to-be AUSA James J. Benedetto, and “accusing him of all sorts of misdeeds and attacking his character” is not only hyperbole, but inflammatory and false in most or almost all instances.
Your accusations against “a number of anonymous commenters” are designed to achieve your activist goals of Lawful Permanent Residence that you were unable to attain so far through the political process.
It is no wonder that comment to this blog has dwindled, as of late. You are too partisan and one-sided. When you must attack commenters to your blog to reach your goals, whatever pretense of fairness you claim is revealed as the sham it is.
If you really think Jim has been “savag[ed]” and “accus[ed] of all sorts of misdeeds” and had his character attacked by “a number of anonymous commenters on this blog,” why not link to and quote from them?
Because you're lying or exaggerating as usual, that's why.
And no, the feeble attempts by Fitial or Willens or both to deny Jim's Ombudsperson reappointment don't count; they weren't on this blog.
I don't think Cinta would agree with your assessment. :} Which means Benedetto is a good guy!
I'm sure some folks knees shook a little when the news came out.
Go get 'em.
Jim Benedetto is a good guy. He is fair, honest and intelligent, really intelligent.
To anonymous above. The CNMI ruined its own reputation by allowing crime and abuse to flourish unchecked. GO JIM!
Oh, and green cards will not be given because of the abuses, but because the CNMI needs the workforce and it makes sense to give it to them instead of continuing with expensive and problematic guest worker programs.
I don't see this site as one-sided -I don't see the exaggerations or lies you allege.
You are too angry. What's your problem?
The CNMI ruined its own reputation by allowing crime and abuse to flourish unchecked.
The U.S. also ruined the CNMI's reputation, and more importantly, peoples lives, by allowing crime and abuse to flourish unchecked. Every single abuse publicly complained about over the past decade or more has been a violation of federal law!
Yes, I'm angry that the federal government allowed such abuses to go on through their decade-long inaction.
Thanks be to God that we will now have four federal prosecutors -- as AUSA Jim Benedetto and AUSA Kirk Schuler join AUSA Eric O'Malley and AUSA Beverly McCallum -- and six FBI Special Agents, not to mention more DEA and U.S. Immigration & Customs Enforcement (ICE) Special Agents.
It's about time, though we'll need even more.
"The U.S. also ruined the CNMI's reputation, and more importantly, peoples lives, by allowing crime and abuse to flourish unchecked."
So let's get this straight. People in the CNMI, including local officials, commit crimes and allow abuses to flourish because of the policies they adopt. The CNMI local government fails to stop these abuses, even though they have the authority. Yet it's the federal government which has ruined the CNMI's reputation and people's lives (please spare us the melodrama) because they failed to adequately protect the CNMI from all of the damage that it was inflicting on itself. This puts a whole new meaning on that phrase you're so fond of: "Federalization: You asked for it. You got it."
All of you who designed, protected and profited from that rotten system were "asking for it". And you got it. Amen.
Of course Jim has been a public servant, Cactus. He will continue to be a public servant when he moves to the U.S. Attorney's office, even though the taxpayers who pay his salary are not the residents of these islands. He did his job and he did it well.
"Perhaps it is because English may not be your native language, but most readers of this blog recognize references to the term “the Ombudsperson” as describing political correctness to a hyper degree, a parody that even Jim can appreciate."
Most readers of this blog recognize the gratuitous snideness of that "parody", which you repeated over and over again to the point of being childish. Most readers also recognize the mean-spirited nastiness that has been directed at Benedetto by apologists for this governor, including countless times on this blog.
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