BY TONY ARTERO • APRIL 10, 2009

What went wrong? The people on Guam have been unknowingly manipulated into serving the government. The public servants, on the other hand, have been insincere, incompetent and derelict of their duty. The pledge of allegiance and the oath of office don’t mean a thing anymore.
For all intended purposes, America’s leadership took a wrong spin after World War II. Perhaps unknowingly at first, but the course Washington, D.C., chose caused America to head south. Arrogance set off America to lose sight of the “Golden Rule” and adopted sword diplomacy. Greed was made politically correct starting from the top. Fraud, waste, abuse and corruption spread widely. Liberty, individual economic freedoms, and justice are denied to the people.
That terrible wrong tarnished our flag, disgraced the sacrifices that kept America free, and destroyed Guam’s local economy. The U.S. government created all these “hate America” sentiments we have today.
Guam became an open season for shysters to establish their kingdoms at the expense of Guam and its people and the U.S. treasury. More recent, for votes politicians made entitlement programs politically correct. But Americans in Guam are second-class citizens and are still without a voice.
Life on Guam is dependent totally on an inorganic Organic Act that politicians are using to their political and financial gain at all cost to Guam and the nation. Honesty is nowhere, but trash and debris are everywhere, from both the local and federal governments. What has been going around for the past six decades has come around. The embarrassment on Guam’s wretched condition is intensified by federal court contempt charges.
These sad and gruesome conditions are a far cry from the harmony and the productivity levels in pre-World War II Guam. Guam was self-reliant and with wholesome environments in which to live and raise a family. In fact, the people of Guam survived the war without outside help, even though they had to feed the Japanese Army first before themselves.
The greatest form of patriotism is standing up against the wrongdoings of one’s own government. What went wrong? Our life begins to end the day we become silent about things that matter. Americans have been proud and contented, but complacency is lethal.
I know this much — unless the wrongs are righted, more and bigger bailouts from the feds and the military buildup will only make matters worse. Everyone on Guam needs to change their ways, especially the military and those in government. We need to refrain from adhering to the “entitlement mentality” we were forced into by big government. We need to demonstrate that we do care about ourselves.
Tony Artero is a retired Navy submariner and a resident of Agana Heights.

2:55 p.m. — Guam Public Library continues amnesty through end of the month
APRIL 9, 2009

2:55 p.m. — The Guam Public Library System’s annual Amnesty Month runs through through April 30. Patrons of the Guam Public Library System may bring in overdue library books and other items without paying any fines.

Damaged or lost materials can be settled for the item price plus a $2 handling charge, the announcement stated. Bring your overdue items to any branch library or the bookmoble.

For more information, call 475-4751/2.

Hafa adai

Anna

Loverboy, the feline is a trip, working on finding a chlorophyll treat he likes, he’s got stinky breath and he likes to move in so close it’s like he’s going to kiss me, it’s mesmerizing how he’s gotten the trust and love flowing, he used to strut back and forth and not let me pet, then he came closer for the treats and the next thing you know he’s sitting on my belly purring and staring at me. He did a very kitty thing two days ago, brought me a gift, a mouse in his mouth…um, hard to reprimand when it’s a kitty’s nature to do this…

I’ve found some good info on/about/for women that’s giving me the inspiration to write again soon. Thanks for bringing it up in your email.

Ciao, Zen Lill

Patricia Robison
Computing Independence

our computer and its Internet connection don’t have to cost you a cent — in fact, they can save money and even make money for you. Here are practical ways to do it…

1. Find the best gasoline prices in your area. Go to GasPriceWatch.com (www.gaspricewatch.com) and GasBuddy.com (www.gasbuddy.com).
2. Slash your phone bill. Get unlimited long-distance phone calls, paying only a flat rate of around $25 per month for all your calls, by using a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service. These services usually include extras, such as caller-ID and voice-mail messages that can be forwarded as E-mail. You need a high-speed Internet connection. Standard phone equipment can be used — the VoIP provider will give you an adaptor to hook up with the service free or for a small charge. Calls are made just as you would with a standard land line, and the person you are calling does not need to have VoIP.
VoIP is available from specialty providers, such as Vonage (www.vonage.com)… from major phone companies, such as AT&T (www.usa.att.com)… and from cable providers, such as Road Runner (www.roadrunner.com).
More information: Federal Communications Commission (www.fcc.gov/voip).
3. Get bargain airline fares. The airlines’ best bargain fares often are available only on their own Web sites. Many airlines send out E-mail “alerts” or newsletters about them to people who subscribe for free through the airlines’ Web site. Check the Web site of any airline that you are considering flying on.
4. Save on mortgage costs. If you are considering taking out a primary mortgage, second mortgage or home-equity loan, find the best deals at HSH Associates (www.hsh.com) and Bankrate.com (www.bankrate.com).
5. Earn more interest on savings. Internet banks pay higher rates on savings because they don’t have to cover the cost of paying for prime “bricks and mortar” banking locations.
Top Internet banks include VirtualBank (www.virtual?bank.com) and Juniper Bank (www.juniper.com). To find more Internet banks, go to Google (www.google.com) or Yahoo (www.yahoo.com) and enter “Internet banks” in the search box.
More information: Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (www.fdic.gov/bank/individual/online/safe.html).
6. Stay in touch with family and friends free. Start a private blog at http://www.blogger.com. This is a personal Web page on which you (and people you select) can post messages, pictures and even voice recordings for free. You save postage on letters and also the cost of printing and shipping photographs, etc., as well as keep everyone in touch no matter how far apart they may be.
7. Have a yard sale on-line. You’ll probably reap better prices through an on-line auction at eBay than through a yard sale.
Why: Instead of getting bids only from the few people who pass your yard in a few hours, you’ll be able to hold items up for sale for days before a market of millions of people nationwide.
More information: To learn how to be an eBay seller, visit http://www.ebay.com and click on “Getting Started” under “Sell.”
8. Get books cheap — or free. Opportunities…
Get new books at prices lower than in retail stores from http://www.amazon.com, http://www.barnesandnoble.com, eBay or the Web site of the publisher.
Used books, many in nearly new condition, are available at up to 70% or more off of list price at Amazon.com. Click on the “used and new” option when making your purchase.
Classic books that are in the public domain because copyright has expired or has not been enforced are downloadable to print — or can be viewed on-line — for free. Bartleby.com (www.bartleby.com) has thousands of texts dating from ancient Greece until today, plus many leading reference works, on-line free.
Also, if you’re looking for a particular “classic” book or play, enter its name in the Google search box, and you may find it downloadable free on a university Web site.
9. Read newspapers free. Most newspapers now have on-line editions — and most of these are free (though you may need to register by providing an E-mail address, etc.). You’ll save the cost of your daily newspaper, and also be able to read newspapers from around the world. If you are planning a trip to a distant city or foreign country, reading its newspapers can be a great way to learn about it in advance.
Newspapers.com (www.newspapers.com) has a searchable directory of more than 10,000 newspapers worldwide.
10. Download music. Music can be cheaper than paying $16 for a CD when you download single songs for only $1 or so, and you can play them through your computer, portable digital music device or on your home stereo (using the appropriate audio cables from an electronics store).
Sources: Apple’s iTunes store (www.apple.com/itunes) is most well-known, but there are many other sources, including the Smithsonian’s Global Sound collection of music from around the world (www.smithsonianglobalsound.org). For other sources, enter “music downloads” in your search engine.
11. Get digital radio free. While satellite radio stations charge a monthly subscription service fee, there are thousands of radio stations around the world that “Webcast” their programming so it can be heard on any computer for free, and many more new stations are “Internet only.” Radio-Locator.com (www.radio-locator.com) is a searchable directory of thousands of Webcasting radio stations worldwide.
Example: You can even get music from Antarctica on ANET-station.com (www.anetstation.com).
12. Get free maps and trip planning. Before you take a road trip, get all the maps you need for free from Mapquest (www.mapquest.com) or Google Maps (www.google.com/?maps). These sites also give detailed directions to your destination, so you’ll get there as quickly, and use as little gas, as possible.
13. Find local help, goods and services. Craigslist (www.craigslist.org) offers classified listings for many local areas. If you need household help, you can find it here. Or if you want to buy (or sell) an item locally, this is a fine site to help you do it.
Example: I recently needed a replacement power adapter for a laptop computer. The lowest price I could find from the manufacturer or in an electronics store was $85. But through Craigslist, I was able to pick one up locally for $22 from an individual seller.
14. Continue your education. More and more colleges and universities are putting their courses on-line for easy access.
To obtain college credits, there’s usually a fee, usually much less than the cost of going back on campus to get credits in person.
On-line learning, whether for credit or not, can boost your career, help you move to a second career and enrich your life.
More information: Visit Degreetutor.com (www.degree?tutor.com), which has a directory of colleges and universities that offer degree and nondegree programs, and the Web sites of colleges and community colleges of interest to you.

Bottom Line/Retirement interviewed Patricia Robison, president, Computing Independence, Box 2031, New York City 10011. She is a technology security specialist and gives seminars on using computers and technology safely and efficie