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Another perfectly beautiful day in paradise! Blue skies with some white clouds. Sunshine, moderated by refreshing breezes. Cadena d'amour, a pesky vine with very pretty, small pink-petaled flowers, is in bloom.
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Before I go and read all the blogs and comments and talk with others, I'm just going to give some gut-level responses to the headline news that Judge Munson quashed the subpoenas in "massage-gate."

He's acted promptly. No one can say he dallied about on this.

He's articulated reasons that make sense (at least to lawyers). Separation of powers and the restraint of the court from participating in the government's investigation are not pretty or popular sound-bites, but they are important foundations of our legal jurisprudence and our system of government.

He's acted fairly and neutrally. I'm guessing he's as curious as the rest of us to actually find out what happened. But he didn't let his own curiosity or disgust about the situation overtake his judgment.

I don't like the outcome, but I'm not fair and neutral. I am disgusted and wanted some heads to roll. Still, I can't fault Judge Munson for reaching this decision.

Now, we'll have to see if this is the end of Massage-gate, or if there will be more federal investigation, more action by the court. I sincerely hope that the Governor is required to pay for his serious and flagrant abuse of power.

Because I don't agree with the Tribune's headline news or the Governor's take that "the truth has prevailed." We haven't heard the truth yet. It hasn't yet prevailed. Ed Buckingham represented the Governor, but he didn't represent the people in this matter. He has won nothing for us.

We did get this, though, from the order:

According to the declarationo fCaptain Georgia Cabrera, it appears that movant (Dolores San Nicolas) left and returned to the Governor's room several times during the treatment, presumably leaving the defendant unattended by any corrections officer for some periods of time...This conclusion is supported by the declaration of Corrections Officer I Abigail Borja...

I wish this letter by Sylvia Haywood was in the Variety where people could comment. It's not.

Sylvia sets Lee Anderson straight, given his ridiculous letter on massage-gate.

I don't get the volume of traffic the Variety does, but if anyone wants to have their say, feel free!

Rain, gray skies, and very cool temps all week; the ocean has been slate gray, too. Today, there's some blue and green in the water, the sun is starting to glare through the clouds, and the rain has stopped (although it was still cool this morning).

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If Governor Fitial had only kept his mouth shut one more day, the story of Chinese Take-Out / Massage-gate would have been off the front page and possibly not even in the news at all. (Well, except for the Tribune, which seems to be running its stories days late, now telling us today they "learned" about Cheng's legitimate job at Yu Yu Spa--They probably learned about it from reading Wendy's Blog!) But the Governor is keeping the story alive and fresh, and he says now that he did not "order" the "release" of the federal detainee, Qingmei Cheng.

This statement sounds like the semantics game that President Clinton tried (and lost) when he said he didn't have "sex" with his intern. As if a blow job was not sex.

And for Fitial, as if a "request" to an employee who "serves at the governor's pleasure" and can be sacked at any time by you, and who knows you will not hesitate to terminate her employment, is anything other than an order.

It always makes me nervous when the Governor throws out a smelly bone and the media hounds go chasing after it; I wonder whether that is to distract the media and public from something else, something worse.

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It's also quite clear this (massage-gate) incident is not an isolated incident, either from the Governor's side or from the Department of Corrections side.

The Governor previously rescued this same "masseuse" from arrest for loitering, making this at least the second time she's been brought by police/correction officials to the governor's mansion to give him a massage.

And DOC's Dolores San Nicolas has (allegedly) at least once before ignored a court order about detention of a person with court-ordered conditions. She allowed her husband, after the court sentenced him to jail without release, to visit the crime scene ostensibly to retrieve a gun (!), and that place happened to be the home of his victim.


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Dolores San Nicolas has her hands more than full. Wally Deleon Guerrero died in his cell at DOC, an apparent suicide. Wally was being held on domestic violence charges.

Condolences to Alice Guerrero and family.

And now to the political side of this tragedy: why doesn't DOC has sufficient measures in place to prevent this?

And will the next "apparent suicide" be Qingmei Cheng?

DOC does not sound like a safe place.

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The Saipan Tribune has today, Friday, published this as news: Fitial in pain.

This news report is predominantly spin, with some very lame excuses:
1. The DOC chief Dolores San Nicolas takes responsibility. She tried to reach the AG and a U.S. Marshall first, but couldn't.
2. Fitial was in severe pain.
3. His wife was present throughout.

On #1
Of course Dolores San NIcolas is responsible for her role in this. But her job security depends on the Governor, and he called her and "asked" for the prisoner to be brought to him. He is also responsible.

Both should face consequences for their actions. Those consequences should include both employment discipline /loss of their jobs and criminal contempt/other charges.

Also, the veracity of their statements should be thoroughly tested. I hope the Feds get the communications records to confirm whether San Nicolas made such phone call/attempts to the AG and the US Marshall. Can records show this?

On #2
It makes no difference how the Governor felt as to the abuse of power. You don't get to use prisoners for your personal needs because you have personal needs and are the Governor.

Also, is this believable in light of his conduct public appearances on that day and the next? The Governor has had medical problems; and those do relate to his back, which means he could be in pain. It's plausible. Yet there are no reports that he seemed in any way to be slower, in pain, uncomfortable on the days leading up to this or the next day.

On # 3
It makes little difference what his wife did to the Governor's abuse of power. The abuse is getting a federal prisoner out of detention for your personal services. I'm sure in the public's eye that massage is less scandalous than prostitution, but both are equally weak as legal support for the Governor's actions.

There there is the question of whether this is believable. Quite frankly, I'm having trouble believing it. But I wasn't there, and don't know. But then I keep going back to the photograph of the first couple, and the anger and unhappiness in the faces of Josie and Ben. At the inauguration, when they should be celebrating.

Just makes me skeptical.

So what do we call this scandal? I've seen "rub-a-dub-dub gate" but I don't much like that, because it makes me think of bathtubs not massage. Other ideas? "Chingching gate" or "Pain-Relief-gate"?

I know it's early, but I want to let everyone know about the Burlington Book Festival coming up next month.  Burlington, VT hosts an incredible book festival each fall, just as the leaves are changing color in New England.  If you live in the Northeast (or even if you don't but you really, really like autumn leaves and books), it's worth the trip.  Most of the events are being held at Waterfront Theater on the shores of Lake Champlain.



I'll be presenting  on Sunday, September 16th at the Children's Literature Festival.  Here's my blurb from the festival website:

11:00 AM-12:00 PM

KATE MESSNER

Join Kate Messner for a trip back in time to the American Revolution on Lake Champlain. Kate will read from her middle grade historical novel Spitfire, set during the Battle of Valcour Island in 1776, sign books and present an interactive multimedia slide show about the real 12-year-old who fought in the battle. Kids will be invited to taste the food and try on the clothes of an 18th century sailor, handle artifact replicas and design their own powder horns to take home.

Waterfront Theatre Black Box, 3rd Floor

Right after my presentation, Linda Urban (lurban) will read from A CROOKED KIND OF PERFECT and talk about the journey of writing and publishing a children's book.  (Even though Linda says it will make her nervous, my kids and I are definitely going to be in the audience!)

Also on tap for the Sunday kids' day... Tracey Campbell Pearson, James Kochalka, Anna Dewdney, Harry Bliss, Jim Arnosky, Barbara Seuling, Marie-Louise Gay, Barbara Lehman, and Warren Kimble.

And the rest of the Book Festival is nothing to scoff at either, with writers like Chris Bohjalian, Howard Frank Mosher, Russell Banks, and Joyce Carol Oates speaking on Saturday, September 15th.  The full schedule is posted at the festival website now. If you're in the area that weekend, please stop by the Children's Literature Festival and say hello! 

Don't miss this Boston Globe article in which Meg Rosoff, Gregory Maguire, Jeanne Birdsall, and Chris Bohjalian propose alternate endings to the Harry Potter series. Rosoff's is the funniest, but they're all quite good, especially as we are all now waiting.

Will this be a very quiet weekend?