By Johnnie Rosario
Republican senators Telo Taitague and Joanne Brown have been bashing their Republican colleague Sen. Mary Torres both on and off camera the past week.
Ms. Torres's legislation, which has been debated by the full Guam Legislature this week, will make the adoption process on Guam more efficient; an issue fitting Republican pro-life values.
Ms. Taitague and Ms. Brown have taken issue with the legislation, arguing Torres's two bills do not adequately address the risk of human trafficking.
The Republican Party of Guam, which estimated there are 500 children waiting to be adopted on Guam, Tuesday chimed in to the public debate, siding with Torres. In a news release, the party stated:
"As the party which supports conservative, pro-life, beliefs, it is vital that Guam has a streamlined and effective adoption system, and Bill 108-36 is aimed at achieving these goals. The current system is not efficient, and that adversely impacts hundreds of kids as well as loving homes which want to adopt a child(children). This bill is about those children."
From the hour the party statement was publicly released yesterday and into this morning, the GOP's WhatsApp chatroom has erupted with angry protestations by Ms. Taitague, absent spell check or the burdens of proper grammar.
The senator, upset that her party sided with Torres on this issue, went on a texting rampage against the GOP's executive committee Tuesday: personally attacked Torres and the members of the GOP executive committee, saying they are not "real Republicans."
"This is very difficult to announce but the GOP will be issuing a Press release in support of a bill by Mary Torres while for 2 days we have been fighting to bring accountability to companies wanting to set up an Adoption agency," the WhatsApp message from Ms. Taitague to the Republican Party reads. She continues, "Guam does not have any regulations, guidelines , or standards to open an agency on Guam. Senator Brown and myself as Republicans have been fighting to include accountability and the safety of our children while Senator shuts these amendments down. Right now anyone can just go down to Rev and Tax and get a license to become an adoption agency business. Human trafficking as well as what happened in the Marshall island is a major red flag. I’m so disappointed in the Excutive committe of the GOP to issue out support for a bill that needs theses standards and go against true Republican senators." (All spelling and grammatical errors are hers)
This morning Taitague continued her attacks, this time aimed at party chairman Juan Carlos Benitez and personally attacking Torres and the members of the GOP executive committee, saying they are not "real Republicans."
"This is about insuring our childern are in safe hands. Rushing to have babies and childern in the hands of a private adoption agency that can simply pickup a business licenses with NO regulations, background checks or standards required to be an adoption agency. Do you homework GOP excutive committee ! There are other Republicans who are in this fight against the bill especially when our amendments would bring accountability and transparency to the bill, which those amendments failed. Who asked you to right this press release anyways ? Mary Torres ? who has countlessly told you personally Juan Carlos that she doesn’t want anything to do with our party ." - exact message from Telo Taitague to Juan Carlos Benitez
One might say, judging from these messages, that Ms. Taitague feels it isn't write to criticize her righting, anywaysss.
