93 thoughts on “Should the U.S. Navy get out of Vieques?”
The U.S. Navy has got to go!
Yes, I think the U.S. should close its naval base on Vieques and end all military maneuvers and practices within the limits of Puerto Rico’s sovereign waters. I posted a message on the other board on PR’s political status because the question of Vieques is precisely an issue of sovereignty–of independence–of control over one’s affairs. The death of Sanet and the injury of the other four should bring home the whole issue of Puerto Rican nationhood. The Roosevelt Roads base must be shutdown: this death and the high rates of cancer are reasons enough. We need, in the meantime, to bring legal action against the U.S. government and Navy for these injuries.
US/NATO Military Out of Vieques
Sadly enough, the latest death in Vieques points out the tremendous danger of Allied practice bombing on the island of Vieques.
Given the very nature that these rookie pilots are “practicing” suggests that they are still “learning” how to throw ordinance.
Combine this with the documented dangers of toxins embedded in the soil of the bombing range which produce an abnormally high incidence of cancer.
It is irresponsible of the military establishment to conduct such activities in a populated area.
Must the innocent people of Vieques suffer for the mindless activities of the Kosovars?
Surely the US military can find somewhere un-populated to practice their bombing skills.
The people of Vieques should know that their fellow citizens here on the mainland from Florida to California are aware of the dangerous activities of the military on their soil. We all send our condolences and warm feelings to the Sanes family and friends.
Those of us who know about this situation send our thoughts
¡Basta Ya, Marina Yankee, Fuera de Vieques!
Enough yankee navy, they have killed one person to many. The US navy is killing all viequenses of cancer. Vieques has a 26% rate more cancer than the main island of Puerto Rico. The US Navy is constantly bombarding the island and renting the island to other nations for manuvers with live munitions. The incident in resent days was not an airplane, thier are witness that saw a ship firing in the area and not an f-18. The US Navy first said it was a military personal that died, when every person at the area knew who had died. Then they said to the international press that Vieques was a disolated island. Afterwards it was a f-18 from the USS Kennedy with a german pilot. Then they said it was an american pilot. But they have never said who was the pilot. They said to the Justice Dept. of Puerto Rico hands-off. The last stupid thing that came to their imbecile minds was they could not bomb anywhere in the east cost becouse people living in this area. We the people that leave in Vieques ask ourself what are we animals. This is the way the US Navy has always treated the people of Vieques. They rent the island to the Allies for 80 million dollars a year and the people of Vieques don’t see a penny of this money. The hospital is more like a clinic. The unemployment rate is about 60% they have about 90 workers that are locals. They signed an agreement in 1983 returning about 70 acres of land, which they never did, and creating a wood industry for the island, which trees they took down so they could install a ROTHOR RADAR in the land they said 15 yrs. ago they were going to return. ¡Basta ya, Fuera la marina de guerra de los Estados Unidos! ¡Acesinos
RE: US/NATO Military Out of Vieques
Thank you for those kind and knowing words. Your support is much appreciated. I think we should call or write our Senators and Congressmen to make our position clear–our Navy should get out of Vieques and clean up the mess they’ve made there. We need to make our leaders accountable for the activities of our military abroad.
RE: ¡Basta Ya, Marina Yankee, Fuera de Vieques!
This information causes me to feel sick to my stomach. What is to be done? Let’s write and call our Senators and Congressmen. We can do that individually but we can also support our the politicians who take a position on Puerto Rico. We’re invisible and this is a big problem. We need to really make our community leaders, our Puerto Rican leaders and our Hispanic leaders accountable on this matter. We need to support those who support what we want in Vieques. The navy should go and they should pay for the damage they’ve done to the Puerto Rican community there as well as pay for the clean up.
Vieques
I am convinced that the blatant disregard for life and environmental issues by the USA in Puerto Rico is prosecutable
This may be the event that provides Puerto Ricans of all political persuasions with concrete enough evidence of what it means to be a subject nation. Maybe this will serve to help congeal our elusive sense of nationalism.
(But…if we were Independent, and a friendly nation to the North, would we necessarily not allow a military base on our Land? Other autonomous and self governing countries allow it.)
Vieques–Why The Navy must Leave Now.
For years now the US Navy has used Vieques as luanching pad for wars against other smaller nations. It has taken 75 % of land, leaving its inhabitants with only 25 %. It has sent the young people there fleeing the island in droves because there is no work and no way to get an education. The Navy also is hoping to bring the population of the island below 8,000. Why? Because there is an agreement when they took over the land that if the population got low enough they could take the land completly. How would they do this. Currently there are no birthing facilities on the island. Babies are taken to Farajdo. This way, the baby is born on another part of the island, and are not registered a Vieqense. And of course, there is the “accidental” bombing a few weeks ago.
If you want the US Out, we must all put pressure on publications that support the NAVY WITH ads as well. This includes our own Latino Magazines. Keep an eye out. Let them know you wont stand for the the betrayel.
May 25! PR history class- Focus on Vieques
On May 25th at 220 E. 106th street–6pm–Universal Business and Media school, there will be a Class on Vieques and the struggle by those who are currently in the movement.
Come join us in El barrio! Come learn your history in order to be armed against any enemy! E-mail the PRC at PRC1898@AOL.com for more info and other upcoming events.
RE: Vieques–Why The Navy must Leave Now.
Hey, your comments are much appreciated. I wasn’t aware that if the Viequense population dropped below 8,000 the U.S. Navy could just swallow up the island. Your right to suggest placing ads in the publications in which the Navy is also running recruitment ads. Barring this, applying pressure to the magazines either through letters or calls may get them to write articles about this situation in Vieques and how it must come to an end by the Navy closing its base there. Thanks!
Forum On Vieques- NAVY OUT NOW!!
On Thursday May 13th there will be a forum on Vieques at Casabe House on 150 E. 121st, El barrio NYC. We are doing this forum because on April 19th, 1999, David Sanes, a resident of Vieques, was killed and four others wounded when a US navy Jet dropped a 500 pound bomb on the wrong target during a military Target. Can someone say, Chinese Embassy?! Supporters of Puerto Rico everywhere are calling for the removal of the NAVY!!
For more info call 212-539-3620
Vieques and US/NATO military training
The military forces that hold the people of Vieques hostage to both long and short term dangers should immediately cease operations.
The bombing ranges should be cleaned up at the expense of the US and Allied governments that created this hazard.
It is irresponsible to use a populated area such as this for a bombing training range.
It only make sense that, given that these people are training i.e.: they are still learning, it is highly dangerous to practice in an area with so many people nearby.
These are the same people who bombed the Chinese Embassy by mistake and killed Italian skiers while hotrodding their billion dollar death machines.
The fact that the bombs also have after affects which contaminate the area is even more chilling.
The people of Vieques have suffered enough.
j everett
tampa florida
Una votacion sobre la marina en Vieques
El periódico EL NUEVO DIA Interactivo (www.endi.com) de Puerto Rico, en su
versión de internet, ha realizado la siguiente encuenta:
¿Debe la marina norteamericana salir de Vieques?
La votación ha sido, hasta el día de hoy, ha sido la siguiente:
77.91% que sí, que salga la marina yanqui.
16.28% que no.
¡Vota contra la invasores!
Fuera la Marina
Unanse el sabado 4 y domingo 5 en una actividad en Vieques para sacar la Marina. Habran alrededor de 15 bandas reggae…
RE: Una votacion sobre la marina en Vieques
Me parece lamentable que el resultado de la encuesta hecha por El Nuevo Día, no haya arrojado resultados de 100% a favor de que la marina Norteamericana desocupe Vieques. A menos que el 16.28% de votos contrarios, represente a aquellos Puertorriqueños que tienen intereses económico y políticos en Vieques y Puerto Rico, similares a los de los invasores.
Qué piensas de esto Ivan?
La Comision Especial de Vieques dice que se vayan!
Ya está en linea el informe de la Comisión Especial de Vieques. Esta
comisión fue nombrada por el Gobernador de Puerto Rico para estudiara a
fondo la situación en la Isla de Vieques con respecto a la Marina de
Guerra de los Estados Unidos y que recomendara cual debe ser la posición
oficial del Gobierno de Puerto Rico.
Le invitamos a leer el informe que se encuentra en Internet en la página
de la comisión. Puede ser accesado en:
RE: RE: Una votacion sobre la marina en Vieques
PLEASE LISTEN
I WANT TO KNOW ARE THE PEOPLE MAD
CAUSE OF ACCIDENT OF THE BOMB GOT DROP
I VERY SORRY IT HAPPEN
IM PUERTORRICAN AND LIKE INFOR ON HOW IT HAPPEN.
vieques
I believe that the Navy should at a minimum stop using the Island as
a location for target practice. You can bet that if Island residents had a VOTING congressional delegation that this would not be happening.
RE: vieques
Why would you bet that a voting congressional delegation would make that big a difference? We would still be a minority. The problem is much bigger than having a say in a governmental process, it’s really a matter of sovereignty.
RE: RE: RE: Una votacion sobre la marina en Vieques
Go to http://www.comisionvieques.govpr.org — although this may be completely in Spanish. How’s your Spanish.
PRC1898@aol.com –just email them and asked for info on classes. They offer classes and participate or organize demonstrations and teach-ins.
Also you might just go to the CORRIENTES section of this website and see what’s going on. There are usually announcements about classes or demos or other events.
Also, click on VIEW THREAD right on this page. I think people posted stuff about the actual incident in which el Senor Sanes got killed and four others injured in Vieques.
Economics101
The people of Puerto Rico act like children, and most of you wouldn’t know that unless you lived here!
Today it’s get the Navy out of Vieques, yesterday it was the ROTHR, next day it will be something else.
My point, you may ask, is that Puerto Rico is manipulated everyday by the liberal press. If there is a bandwagon to jump on everyone is jumping on it!
Also what about after Georges, Hortense, Hugo.. Who was the first to help? The Navy was! No one complained then.
And I can’t believe all of these enviromentalist complaining about the Navy, If you compare Vieques, Roosevelt Roads, to the rest of Puerto Rico, The Navy wins undoubtedly. The main base is spotless and is a protected area where land crabs are abundant, unlike anywhere else in Puerto Rico.
I’m not condeming your protest, however it is important to know ALL the facts of BOTH sides. That is the right we have as AMERICANS, to question our government.
My last question,, what happens if Vieques is returned to the people, then the Navy has no reason to stay in Puerto Rico,,So then when the 3,000 military personel leave, so do the 3,500 civilian jobs not to mention other various contractors that are employed from time to time. What happens to the economy of eastern PR when the Navy leaves and takes the 250Million it contributes to the economy of PR?
I remember in the late 80’s a town named Norfolk, VA published stories about how much they hated the Navy (over 100,000) until the war with Iraq when the entire Atlantic Fleet left Norfolk,, what happend?? the worst economic slump for Norfolk since the depression. If you don’t understand I’ll explain. Sailors get paid/ they spend money in your stores/which provides you a job/etc,etc..
For those of you who think PR has too many military personnel,,I invite you to go to Norfolk,North Carolina, San Diego,Jacksonville just to name a few places
There must be a way to solve this so both parties win
RE: Economics 101 Flunks
I believe you are misinterpreting the behavior of your fellow citizens. Children? You won’t even use your name–how mature is that? A few points. Norfolk is in the nation of the U.S. Puerto Rico is basically an occupied country–as the Vieques situation so clearly indicates.
If you know anything about the situation there, then you must know that they have the highest rate of cancer when compared to the Puerto Rican population in general and that the Viequenses suffer from post traumatic stress syndrome. This is too high a price to pay for 3,000 jobs or any economic stimulation. There are other and better ways.
Please go to the website on Vieques that actually posts the objective findings concerning the island. The URL is in one of the other comments.
RE: Forum On Vieques- NAVY OUT NOW!!
We must ensure that everyone has all the correct information, it was a U.S.Marine jet.
RE: Vieques–Why The Navy must Leave Now.
The only correct statement was, that there was an accident in Vieques,,,it’s amazing how people twist stories in order to make them more dramatic, in order to sway public opion. I wonder how many people that write on this message board have actually been to vieques? I have.
RE: RE: Vieques–Why The Navy must Leave Now.
As we see here, someone has been persuaded through false information!
RE: Vieques
Blantant disreguard for life? enviromental issues,, have you seen the main island?? especially after the grass is cut, it is a giant trash heap, you cannot drive 50 meters without seeing trash! what about San Juan bay,,, oh let me guess, the navy did it. Those who live in glass houses, shouldn’t throw rocks!
RE: RE: Economics 101 Flunks
IF there is an inch,,well take a foot. Blaming the problems of Puerto Rico on the Navy, a common practice today, Shows the irresponsibility of the PR government, or people, I’m not sure who to blame so I won’t. PR has water problems,,OH my the Navy is taking water from Rio Blanco,,,then that is the reason San Juan, and the rest of the island for that matter, are having problems with water! So did the canser rate study take anything else besides the navy into consideration?? like natural selection,, PSD which is a form of depression and not necessarlly a war or combat related diease,Lets consider all the facts!!
SOLUTION
In the original design and implementation of the Roosevelt Roads Naval Base, plans were to build a bridge from the main island to Vieques, however these plans were scraped,, maybe the best alternative for a win-win situation would be for the Navy to build the bridge, which would A) directly improve the economy of Vieques, Then of course the reduction of actual bombing days, and returning land( a must if a civilian bridge is to be built)
NAVY: Enough is enough
Fifty years of hell and in one’s backyard documents extreme tolerance and patience by the people of Vieques towards the Navy. The Navy should find an option elsewhere, not the viequenses. Some have suggested them to move to the Isla Grande leaving years of tradition and memories behind. Yet, those senseless beings who pose that alternative were quick to justify the US military intervention in Kosovo when the Serbs were effacing ethnic Albanians from their homes.
Fuera de Vieques! Que se vaya la marina
The Navy’s departure from Vieques is way overdue.oreover it isn’t simply a question of leaving. The U.S. Navy must acknowledge and comply with a compensation payment plan- to deal with the economic and environmental destruction of Vieques social and natural resources.
Also, the departure of the Nvy, must be seen in the context of Puerto Rican peoples’ struggle for self-determination, i.e. end of U.S. colonial rule on the Puerto Rican archipielago.
Developing Vieques
Vieques: the long road to sustainable development
by Carmelo Ruiz
(Puerto Rico. July 22 1999)
Little by little, the protesters that are trying to wrest Vieques away from the United States Navy are putting the island-municipality on the road to sustainable development.
Vieques, situated between the main island of Puerto Rico and the United
States Virgin Islands, has been used by the U.S. Navy for target practice and war games for almost sixty years.
The U.S. military owns 27,000 of the islandís 33,000 acres. Vieques’
civilian population of 9,400 is crammed into the remaining 6,000 acres.
As a result of decades of bombing with live ammunition, Vieques has inherited a legacy of toxic pollution. In May, the U.S. Navy admitted that it had tested radioactive depleted uranium shells in the island.
Vieques has a cancer rate 26 percent over Puerto Ricoís average,
according to the P.R. Health Department. Many in the island blame this
on the Navyís pollution.
Since April, several groups of protesters have been camping out in the
Navy’s firing range. But they are not just protesting. They are also working to lead Vieques towards a sustainable future.
Casa Pueblo, a grassroots organisation based in the mountain town of Adjuntas, is currently installing photovoltaic solar panels in one of the protesters’ camps to keep them supplied with energy.
The solar power plantís 100 watts of energy will be used to power fans,
recharge cellular phones, cook and provide lighting at night.
With this initiative, we are taking the first steps toward a new development model for Vieques based on community and environmental compatibility, said Casa Pueblo director Alexis Massol at a press
conference.
The organisation is also bringing to Vieques a group of biologists and
agronomers to start reforesting the devastated landscape, and conduct
scientific studies to see what can be done to restore the lagoons and
mangroves.
We will plant trees that will serve to rotect the coral reefs, and
study the lagoons to see how we can help. We donít have to wait for the
Navy to leave Viequesî, said Massol to the local press.
The goal is to end the dependency and domination from the government
and political parties, allowing Vieques residents to develop a self-determination process with a voice of their own, for freedom, peace and life.î
Casa Pueblo was originally established in 1980 to fight against plans for strip mining Puerto Ricoís mountains. After successfully defeating the mining project, the group went on dedicate itself to developing positive social and environmental alternatives for Puerto Rico’s future.
The organisation now co-manages– along with the Puerto Rico government–the 750-acre Peopleís Forest in Adjuntas, which features an agro-forestry farm, recreational facilities for children and an open-air amphiteatre.
Casa Pueblo funds its activities by growing and selling its own coffee,
Madre Isla, which is marketed locally as a socially responsible product. The Madre Isla coffee farm also has a small eco-tourism project.
Meanwhile, in another part of the Vieques firing range, the Congreso
Nacional Hostosiano (CNH), a non-partisan pro-independence organisation, is building a school. The modest one-room school is designed by high school teachers, university professors, journalists, musicians, urban planners and students.
Once finished, it will serve as a meeting point for groups and individuals that might want to learn more about the problems that the people of Vieques are suffering as a result of the Navy occupation.
Near the school, CNH volunteers are planting the first saplings of what
will be known as the Peace Forest.
Another move towards a sustainable future in Vieques is the formation
of a Technical Multidisciplinary Committee for the Development of a
Free Vieques.
The Committeeís purpose is to give the Vieques community the capacity to participate actively in the economic development of the island, according to Committee spokesman Robert Rabin.
The Committeeís members include economists, environmental planners,
architects and a former dean of the University of Puerto Rico. They
emphasize that it is vitally important that Vieques residents be in effective control over all their lands if they are ever to attain sustainable development.
The Committee is looking into the promotion of sustainable economic
activities, like fishing, agriculture and eco-tourism.
The people of Vieques have been trying to rescue their lands from the
Navy’s clutches for over half a century, and after such a long struggle
they will not permit them to fall into the hands of foreigners and/or
speculators, said the Boston-born Rabin.
What’s going on in Vieques?
Well, the move by Clinton to grant a restrictive pardon to the Puerto Rican political prisoners seems to have shifted attention away from Vieques. What is the latest on this front–and can anybody draw a connection (if there is any) between the decision to grant a limited pardon to the PRPP and any political maneuvering with Vieques. Clinton does have the report commissioned by Rosello that calls for the departure of the U.S. Navy so what’s he doing with it?
Lo que pasa en Vieques
8 de septiembre de 1999
Comunicado de Prensa
El Comité Pro Rescate y Desarrollo de Vieques (CPRDV) reveló hoy una carta
del 26 de agosto de 1999 en la cual el Senador James Inhofe (R-Okla.), quien preside el Subcomité de Preparación y Apoyo Militar del Comité de Fuerzas Armadas del Senado Federal, (Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support) amenazó a la Secretaria del Departamento de Justicia Federal, Janet Reno, para que tome acción inmediata contra aquellos que se encuentran ocupando terrenos de la Marina en Vieques.
Inhofe dirige este poderoso subcomité senatorial, que es responsable por el cierre de bases, la construcción, la logística y el entrenamiento militar.
Según la carta, la Marina solicitó el 3 de agosto al Agente Especial a cargo del FBI en San Juan que iniciara una investigación y que tomara las “acciones apropiadas” sobre este asunto. El Senador Inhofe describe como “desafortunada” e “irresponsable” la posición tanto del FBI como del fiscal
federal auxiliar, Jorge Vega, quien informó al FBI que “su oficina no
tomaría acción” en contra de los manifestantes en Vieques.
En el último párrafo de la carta, Inhofe exige al Inspector General del
Departamento de Justicia Federal a que investigue al fiscal Vega. Además
advierte, en forma amenazante, a la Secretaria de Justicia, Janet Reno, que
ella “?será responsible por cualquier tragedia, incluyendo la pérdida de
vidas, que resulten de la falta de acción en este asunto.”
“Esta carta revela que la Marina está tan desesperada por sacar a los
viequenses de los campamentos que han llegado al extremo de amenazar al
propio FBI y al Departamento de Justicia Federal para que tomen acción contra los que están en protesta en la zona de bombardeo,” dijo Robert Rabin del CPRDV. Rabin señaló que desde el pasado mes de abril, agentes del FBI han estado hostigando a miembros del CPRDV y a pescadores en sus residencias en Vieques.
Will the FBI raid Vieques encampments
WATCH OUT! Will the FBI or their local cronies–raid the encampments and forcibly remove the people who are stopping the target practice? I fear that the granting of clemency to the Puerto Rican political prisoners was a way of placating us on one side and now turning the guns towards Vieques.
RE: Economics101
You need to get a head docor. Two members of my family are Navy. The highest rate of cancer in the Western hemisphere is in Vieques. The Navy that used Vieques to train personnel to kill Germans in World War II are standing watch as the U.S. government is collecting millions of deutsche marks, as the Germans are now using the place for target practice. The island of Vieques is a microcosym of what the government is systematically doing to the entire island of Puerto Rico. And is now passing Vieques around like a play-thing, to be whored by other countries in order to prepare for some future conflict. It’s time to leave the little lady (Vieques) alone. Then with time, allow her matron (Puerto Rico) to forget her past and evolve into the RICH PORT, that she was originally destined to be.
RE: RE: US/NATO Military Out of Vieques
Precisely the problem is that the puertoricans don’t consider the US navy to be our navy. US citizenship was imposed on our parents and grandparents by an act of congress on a militarily conquered nation just so we could fight in their wars. Some of us haven’t forgotten.
RE: vieques
We don’t want a voting congressional delegation. We want all the US military out of our national territory. The US has been an uninvited guest for 100 years. Is time for them to go back home. We want to be FREE.
RE: SOLUTION
The only acceptable solution is for the US navy to get out. They should bomb the Carolinas, Maine, Louisiana, Texas or any other eastern state with a coast line. It’s their navy and their wars for their economic interests so let them pay the price not Puerto Rico.
RE: Economics101
Freedom you are totally wrong and it seems that you are the misguided child. It’s not a question of Puerto Rico being manipulated. It’s a question of Puerto Rico protecting itself against an uninvited and abusive guest. What the US does after the hurricanes in P.R. is not help. It’s just a matter of keeping a slave population healthy. My child you seem to think that the US is the 13th apostle chosen by Christ to help humanity. Let me tell you that they are wolves in sheep skins. The only motive that moves the US in their relations with PR is economic gains. So you are impressed with the cleanliness of the military bases. My child that’s part of mantaining a military dicipline. It’s clear to me that you like crabs. Tell me if they are as abundant in the target ranges in Vieques. You mention Norfolk, North Carolina, San Diego and Jacksonville. Tell me child if the populations of these foreign places are within hearing distance of constant bombings by a foreign navy or for that matter if uranium ordinance is used so close to their civilian populations. You also mention the revenues for Puerto Rico from the military bases. Those bases could all close right know and we would benefit more from it than loose. The US intelligence personnel that operates from those bases to keep the puertorican economy dependant and to ensure that US companies sell all their excess production in the island would go with them. Maybe then we could develope our own economy without US intervention and that woul result in new jobs. Don’t you think? I’m not interested in both parties winning. I’m interested in Puerto Rico winning by ending the abuse of the US.
RE: Economics101
Freedom you are totally wrong and it seems that you are the misguided child. It’s not a question of Puerto Rico being manipulated. It’s a question of Puerto Rico protecting itself against an uninvited and abusive guest. What the US does after the hurricanes in P.R. is not help. It’s just a matter of keeping a slave population healthy. My child you seem to think that the US is the 13th apostle chosen by Christ to help humanity. Let me tell you that they are wolves in sheep skins. The only motive that moves the US in their relations with PR is economic gains. So you are impressed with the cleanliness of the military bases. My child that’s part of mantaining a military dicipline. It’s clear to me that you like crabs. Tell me if they are as abundant in the target ranges in Vieques. You mention Norfolk, North Carolina, San Diego and Jacksonville. Tell me child if the populations of these foreign places are within hearing distance of constant bombings by a foreign navy or for that matter if uranium ordinance is used so close to their civilian populations. You also mention the revenues for Puerto Rico from the military bases. Those bases could all close right know and we would benefit more from it than loose. The US intelligence personnel that operates from those bases to keep the puertorican economy dependant and to ensure that US companies sell all their excess production in the island would go with them. Maybe then we could develope our own economy without US intervention and that woul result in new jobs. Don’t you think? I’m not interested in both parties winning. I’m interested in Puerto Rico winning by ending the abuse of the US.
RE: Economics101
Freedom you are totally wrong and it seems that you are the misguided child. It’s not a question of Puerto Rico being manipulated. It’s a question of Puerto Rico protecting itself against an uninvited and abusive guest. What the US does after the hurricanes in P.R. is not help. It’s just a matter of keeping a slave population healthy. My child you seem to think that the US is the 13th apostle chosen by Christ to help humanity. Let me tell you that they are wolves in sheep skins. The only motive that moves the US in their relations with PR is economic gains. So you are impressed with the cleanliness of the military bases. My child that’s part of mantaining a military dicipline. It’s clear to me that you like crabs. Tell me if they are as abundant in the target ranges in Vieques. You mention Norfolk, North Carolina, San Diego and Jacksonville. Tell me child if the populations of these foreign places are within hearing distance of constant bombings by a foreign navy or for that matter if uranium ordinance is used so close to their civilian populations. You also mention the revenues for Puerto Rico from the military bases. Those bases could all close right know and we would benefit more from it than loose. The US intelligence personnel that operates from those bases to keep the puertorican economy dependant and to ensure that US companies sell all their excess production in the island would go with them. Maybe then we could develope our own economy without US intervention and that woul result in new jobs. Don’t you think? I’m not interested in both parties winning. I’m interested in Puerto Rico winning by ending the abuse of the US.
RE: SOLUTION
The only acceptable solution is for the US navy to get out. They should bomb the Carolinas, Maine, Louisiana, Texas or any other eastern state with a coast line. It’s their navy and their wars for their economic interests so let them pay the price not Puerto Rico.
PENTAGON PREPARES TO EVICT PROTESTERS FROM TARGET
10-1-99
PENTAGON PREPARES TO EVICT PROTESTERS FROM TARGET RANGE
By STEWART M. POWELL
c.1999 Hearst Newspapers
WASHINGTON _ The Pentagon, anticipating that President Clinton will
temporarily reopen a target range on the Puerto Rican island of Vieques,
is developing plans for U.S. marshals to evict protesters from the site
and for U.S. Coast Guard vessels to intercept any other demonstrators
arriving by sea.
The preparations set the stage for a potential confrontation between
federal law enforcement officers and Puerto Rican demonstrators who have
occupied the target range for the last five months in an effort to prevent
the Navy and Marine Corps from using it.
A four-member Pentagon review panel appointed at the request of the
president has recommended resumption of live-fire combat training on
Vieques.
A senior Pentagon official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said
Friday that Clinton administration officials who report to Defense
Secretary William Cohen and Attorney General Janet Reno are developing
contingency plans to evict demonstrators.
“The goal will be to protect the safety of protesters in the live
impact area as they are removed from the site,” the official said.
Bill Licatovich, a spokesman at the headquarters of the U.S. Marshals
Service in Washington, D.C., declined to comment about any Vieques
planning by the marshals.
“We’re aware of the situation on Vieques but at this point in time, we do
not have any marching orders,” Licatovich said. “We do not comment on
provisional planning for any kind of operation.”
Navy Secretary Richard Danzig has written twice to Puerto Rico Gov.
Pedro Rossello to urge him to help persuade the trespassers to leave the
site on their own accord. Danzig appealed to Puerto Rican authorities
again, in remarks distributed by his office on Friday.
“If President Clinton orders us to leave, we’ll leave,” Danzig said.
But noting “increasing talk of civil disobedience,” Danzig added:
spective New York Senate campaign of First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton
because the Vieques issue is an emotional one among Puerto Ricans.
Voters born in Puerto Rico make up about 60 percent of the 2.6 million
Hispanics in New York state.
Rossello, the Democratic governor of Puerto Rico, has offered to
campaign for Mrs. Clinton in New York and has been vocal in his
opposition to the use of Vieques for target practice. He has vowed to
seek a federal court injunction to block any resumption of firing there.
Other prominent political leaders such as Rep. Carlos Romero-Barcelo,
D-Puerto Rico, and civil rights leader Jesse Jackson have vowed to serve
as “human shields” to thwart the Navy’s use of the target range if the
White House approves resumption of bombing.
Robert Rubin, a member of the Vieques-based Committee for the Rescue and
Development of Vieques, said his organization would help to find
substitutes to take the place of any protesters arrested by law
enforcement officers at the series of encampments. “There are plenty of
Vieques volunteers to fill the camps as soon as they are taken,” Rubin
said.
Organizers for the Vieques Support Campaign scheduled a rally in New
York City on Saturday at Hunter College and a vigil outside the gates of
the Navy maneuver range on Vieques.
Presidential Council Recommendations
Well, what do you think about their 5 year plan. The stand-off continues. Again, it’s up to Clinton to act. Just as he did with the political prisoners. What do you think he will do? Hillary really cleaned up her act, didn’t she?
Vieques resolution passed by AFL-CIO
The 23rd Convention of the American
Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), meeting in Los Angeles, California, from the 11th to 13th of October, 1999, resolves to:
1. Express our support of the people of Vieques and Puerto Rico in their
struggle to live in peace, to stop U.S. Navy bombing and to have its immediate and permanent removal from the island
municipality;
2. Support the firm position taken by the Puerto Rico Federation of Labor,
AFL-CIO, the Puerto Rican working class, the Government of Puerto Rico and the general public in support of the struggle of the people of Vieques;
3. Request that the President of the U.S., Bill Clinton, order the
permanent end of bombing of Vieques and the removal of the U.S. Navy from
that Puerto Rican island; and
4. Demand that the U.S. Navy make reparations for the destruction of the
environment that it has caused and assist in the social and economic
development of the people of Vieques.
Vieques/Washington Post
Editorial Washington Post – viernes 22 oct. 1999
The Pentagon and Vieques
Friday, October 22, 1999; Page A32
A PENTAGON-appointed panel, the defense secretary and the president, pronouncing on the volatile Vieques issue, urge the United States and Puerto Rico to continue working to serve American military readiness on the one hand and local safety, economic and environmental considerations on the other.
This flows from the death of a civilian guard last April at the valuable live-fire training ground on Vieques, a satellite island a few miles off Puerto Rico at whose other end 9,000 American citizens live.
Well, yes: dialogue, compromise, work it out. But the mismatch is painful. The U.S. government has the power, the Puerto Ricans are left to protest. A
memorandum of understanding in 1983 — far from the first such effort — was
meant to address Vieques’s neglected concerns. But, concedes the Pentagon
panel, too little was done both in preparing fleetworthy live-fire training
alternatives and in showing respect to Vieques. This is how the April accident came to stir major continuing demonstrations, including live-ins
right in the firing range. The issue has generated intense nationalistic passion in Puerto Rico, and a feeling of betrayal and no-confidence reigns.
Chairing a Vieques hearing Tuesday, Sen. John Warner said that, doing their
patriotic duty, his own constituents in Quantico sit closer to an active live-fire range than do residents of Vieques. But the senator failed to note that his constituents command a powerful alternative device to ensure their
safety. They have a full role in the American political system; they have
Sen. John Warner. By contrast, the Americans who live in Vieques cling to the fringe of the American system. They have no voting or Senate representation.
They lack a political status — statehood or independence — that would give them a fair chance to make their case.
The competing requirements of the American military and the people of Vieques do need to be worked on harder. But the root problem of modernizing a
colonial connection now entering its second century remains to be effectively
addressed.
Harvard Professors and Students for Vieques
Twenty-five (25) professors and hundreds of students from Harvard University have signed a petition requesting that President Clinton stop the bombing of Vieques and that he remove all military personnel from the island. A copy of the petition and the complete list of professors is included below.
The professors, who have been joined by over 200 students from Harvard, have expressed their overwhelming support of the people of Vieques and have signed the petition as a pledge of solidarity. Hans Perl-Matanzo, Director of Harvard Students for Peace in Vieques Now!, explained that the petition was sent to President Clinton today and that, since more signatures from other professors and students are expected, his group
will send updated lists to the White House in the coming days. Perl-Matanzo is also encouraging professors, students and the public at-large to support the work of the Committee for the Rescue and Development of Vieques and to call the White House Comment Line at 202-456-4111 and demand that the President order the US Navy out of Vieques now.
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Contact: Hans S. Perl-Matanzo,
Director of Harvard Students for Peace in Vieques, Now!
Ricky Martin says stop the bombing too!
Ricky Martin has taken a public position on Vieques, urging the U.S. to end all bombing on that island. He is supposed to be meeting with Clinton next week concerning this issue, according to El Nuevo Mundo. “Puerto Rico is united in this cause and I’m part of it,” Martin said.
BY TODO EL BARRIO CON VIEQUES
On Monday evening, October 25, a group of East Harlem community leaders met in Congressman Rangel’s local office to come up with an action plan in support of the 4 demands of the people of Vieques Puerto Rico:
1) Demilitarizacion – that the U.S. Navy immediately cease all bombing & military practice on and near Vieques; and that it (the Navy) leave the island totally & permanently.
2) Devolucion – that the lands occupied by the Navy be returned to the people of Vieques.
3) Descontaminacion – total environmental restoration of all areas
contaminated due to 60 years of military maneuvers.
4) Deasarrollo – Not less than $3600 million dollars in compensation foe
damages caused by military occupation to be used for sustainable economic
development o restore fishing, agriculture, animal husbandry, light industry and to foster ecotourism.
Our preliminary plan includes the following elements:
Press Conference. To be held at a location in East Harlem within the next
two weeks to announce the launching of our effort, TODO EL BARRIO CON VIEQUES,
and schedule of activities. All local elected officials, religious and
community leaders, residents, and supporters will be invited to attend.
Proposed date: Tuesday, 11/9/99, 1 PM. Miriam will draft press release. We
need a place.
Color-Coded (Aqua) Post Card Campaign We will have 10,000 post cards printed
in aqua addressed to the President, U.S. Senators Moynihan and Schumer and a
blank for the person to address to their local Congressperson. It will
state that the US Navy must leave Vieques, Puerto Rico immediately and
support for the 4 Demands (see above). Space will be provided for the
person’s signature, his/her printed name and address. Robert will design the
postcard and se what organization(s) will contribute the printing.
Car Caravan. The Saturday following the Press Conference from 11-1, we will
have a colorful car caravan with flags and posters leaving from 106th Street
& 1st Avenue. The caravan will be led by a soundtruck with music, speakers
and flyers. We will cover the avenues 1st to Park from 99th to 123rd
Streets. Proposed date: Saturday, 11/13, 11AM -1 PM. We need a sound truck,
who has one???
Evening Candlelight Procession. Ask East Harlem churches to celebrate an
ecumenical prayer service preceded or followed by a candlelight procession.
Proposed date: Wednesday, 11/17, 7-9 PM.
Flyer. To inform the community of our organization, the 4 demands and the
schedule of activities.
Outreach to Unions. Ask leadership to send letters of support of Vieques to
the President, the 2 US Senators and the NYS Congressional delegation.
The people of Vieques are counting on us, please come to the next meeting of TODO EL BARRIO CON VIEQUES, Monday, 11/1/99, at Congressman Rangel’s Office,
2110 First Avenue (1199 Plaza bet.109-110th Sts.). For further information,
call Miriam Falcon-Lopez (212)348-9630 or Gloria E. Quinones (212)348-8004.
White House shenanigans
Muchos saludos. Escribire en ingles, por si hay algunos destinatarios
que no lean espanol. It is certainly true that President Clinton surprisingly short circuited his own process when he made those calls to Gov. Rossello last weekend. Puerto Ricans have been pretty patient with the bureaucratic charades coming out of the White House: First
>establishing a panel last June of three military officers with the only Puerto Rican, Diego Hernandez, having been officially declared persona non-grata by the people of Vieques. Then waiting four months before the “Rush Panel” issued its insulting proposal for limited bombing” and leaving the decision to leave Vieques in the hands of the Navy. After that, Clinton asked Defense Secretary Cohen to initiate a process of “dialogue” with the Govt. of PR. About ten days ago, Clinton himself
said in an interview that he had asked Cohen to continue the dialogue and wait for about a month (i.e. until mid-December) before Cohen gives the President his recommendation. Then, ignoring this whole process, Clinton meets with Cohen and the Navy last week on Veteran’s Day and the
following day has a “decision”, which is adverse to the people of Vieques. That evening, Jeffrey Farrow (the White House’s point person on Vieques) participates in a Vieques forum in NY and says there’s nothing new to report, when he very well knew that a decision had been taken without even consulting the Governor and by bypassing the process. The following day, on Saturday, Clinton calls Rossello and tells him what his decision is. Rossello asks Clinton to give him time to consult with his Vieques Commission. He does and later that day reports to
Clinton that they won’t accept that decision (which Rossello tells the
media is an offer/proposal, something Clinton doesn’t object to since he
doesn’t want to be seen as imposing his will against the people’s will).
Rossello then comes up with the desperate and widely repudiated idea of
holding a “consulta” or referendum in Vieques, but is initially cryptic
about its proposed content and purpose. When he finally reveals that his proposed “consulta” would be a “yes” or “no” vote on Clinton’s proposal (i.e. if “yes” then the Navy can stay for at least a few years, bomb you for 90 days a year, but they’ll throw money at you; if “no”, then you are stuck with the status quo, which means, at least 180 days of bombing a year, no money, etc.), it is rejected by all in the Vieques
community and even by the Governor’s own Vieques Commission, which is comprised of an overwhelming pro-Statehood majority. The Governor then scraps the whole idea. It is then revealed that the Pentagon was behind the “consulta” idea, either as an initiator or at least as a supporter. Rossello (and most likely Farrow) thought that the “consulta” idea would help him and the President save face, but it was so transparently bogus, sneaky and insulting as to be stillborn from day one.
The U.S. Navy has got to go!
Yes, I think the U.S. should close its naval base on Vieques and end all military maneuvers and practices within the limits of Puerto Rico’s sovereign waters. I posted a message on the other board on PR’s political status because the question of Vieques is precisely an issue of sovereignty–of independence–of control over one’s affairs. The death of Sanet and the injury of the other four should bring home the whole issue of Puerto Rican nationhood. The Roosevelt Roads base must be shutdown: this death and the high rates of cancer are reasons enough. We need, in the meantime, to bring legal action against the U.S. government and Navy for these injuries.
US/NATO Military Out of Vieques
Sadly enough, the latest death in Vieques points out the tremendous danger of Allied practice bombing on the island of Vieques.
Given the very nature that these rookie pilots are “practicing” suggests that they are still “learning” how to throw ordinance.
Combine this with the documented dangers of toxins embedded in the soil of the bombing range which produce an abnormally high incidence of cancer.
It is irresponsible of the military establishment to conduct such activities in a populated area.
Must the innocent people of Vieques suffer for the mindless activities of the Kosovars?
Surely the US military can find somewhere un-populated to practice their bombing skills.
The people of Vieques should know that their fellow citizens here on the mainland from Florida to California are aware of the dangerous activities of the military on their soil. We all send our condolences and warm feelings to the Sanes family and friends.
Those of us who know about this situation send our thoughts
¡Basta Ya, Marina Yankee, Fuera de Vieques!
Enough yankee navy, they have killed one person to many. The US navy is killing all viequenses of cancer. Vieques has a 26% rate more cancer than the main island of Puerto Rico. The US Navy is constantly bombarding the island and renting the island to other nations for manuvers with live munitions. The incident in resent days was not an airplane, thier are witness that saw a ship firing in the area and not an f-18. The US Navy first said it was a military personal that died, when every person at the area knew who had died. Then they said to the international press that Vieques was a disolated island. Afterwards it was a f-18 from the USS Kennedy with a german pilot. Then they said it was an american pilot. But they have never said who was the pilot. They said to the Justice Dept. of Puerto Rico hands-off. The last stupid thing that came to their imbecile minds was they could not bomb anywhere in the east cost becouse people living in this area. We the people that leave in Vieques ask ourself what are we animals. This is the way the US Navy has always treated the people of Vieques. They rent the island to the Allies for 80 million dollars a year and the people of Vieques don’t see a penny of this money. The hospital is more like a clinic. The unemployment rate is about 60% they have about 90 workers that are locals. They signed an agreement in 1983 returning about 70 acres of land, which they never did, and creating a wood industry for the island, which trees they took down so they could install a ROTHOR RADAR in the land they said 15 yrs. ago they were going to return. ¡Basta ya, Fuera la marina de guerra de los Estados Unidos! ¡Acesinos
RE: US/NATO Military Out of Vieques
Thank you for those kind and knowing words. Your support is much appreciated. I think we should call or write our Senators and Congressmen to make our position clear–our Navy should get out of Vieques and clean up the mess they’ve made there. We need to make our leaders accountable for the activities of our military abroad.
RE: ¡Basta Ya, Marina Yankee, Fuera de Vieques!
This information causes me to feel sick to my stomach. What is to be done? Let’s write and call our Senators and Congressmen. We can do that individually but we can also support our the politicians who take a position on Puerto Rico. We’re invisible and this is a big problem. We need to really make our community leaders, our Puerto Rican leaders and our Hispanic leaders accountable on this matter. We need to support those who support what we want in Vieques. The navy should go and they should pay for the damage they’ve done to the Puerto Rican community there as well as pay for the clean up.
¡Vieques Libre!
Visit the Vieques Libre website
http://micronetix.net/virus/vieques.htm
Vieques
I am convinced that the blatant disregard for life and environmental issues by the USA in Puerto Rico is prosecutable
This may be the event that provides Puerto Ricans of all political persuasions with concrete enough evidence of what it means to be a subject nation. Maybe this will serve to help congeal our elusive sense of nationalism.
(But…if we were Independent, and a friendly nation to the North, would we necessarily not allow a military base on our Land? Other autonomous and self governing countries allow it.)
Vieques–Why The Navy must Leave Now.
For years now the US Navy has used Vieques as luanching pad for wars against other smaller nations. It has taken 75 % of land, leaving its inhabitants with only 25 %. It has sent the young people there fleeing the island in droves because there is no work and no way to get an education. The Navy also is hoping to bring the population of the island below 8,000. Why? Because there is an agreement when they took over the land that if the population got low enough they could take the land completly. How would they do this. Currently there are no birthing facilities on the island. Babies are taken to Farajdo. This way, the baby is born on another part of the island, and are not registered a Vieqense. And of course, there is the “accidental” bombing a few weeks ago.
If you want the US Out, we must all put pressure on publications that support the NAVY WITH ads as well. This includes our own Latino Magazines. Keep an eye out. Let them know you wont stand for the the betrayel.
May 25! PR history class- Focus on Vieques
On May 25th at 220 E. 106th street–6pm–Universal Business and Media school, there will be a Class on Vieques and the struggle by those who are currently in the movement.
Come join us in El barrio! Come learn your history in order to be armed against any enemy! E-mail the PRC at PRC1898@AOL.com for more info and other upcoming events.
RE: Vieques–Why The Navy must Leave Now.
Hey, your comments are much appreciated. I wasn’t aware that if the Viequense population dropped below 8,000 the U.S. Navy could just swallow up the island. Your right to suggest placing ads in the publications in which the Navy is also running recruitment ads. Barring this, applying pressure to the magazines either through letters or calls may get them to write articles about this situation in Vieques and how it must come to an end by the Navy closing its base there. Thanks!
Forum On Vieques- NAVY OUT NOW!!
On Thursday May 13th there will be a forum on Vieques at Casabe House on 150 E. 121st, El barrio NYC. We are doing this forum because on April 19th, 1999, David Sanes, a resident of Vieques, was killed and four others wounded when a US navy Jet dropped a 500 pound bomb on the wrong target during a military Target. Can someone say, Chinese Embassy?! Supporters of Puerto Rico everywhere are calling for the removal of the NAVY!!
For more info call 212-539-3620
Vieques and US/NATO military training
The military forces that hold the people of Vieques hostage to both long and short term dangers should immediately cease operations.
The bombing ranges should be cleaned up at the expense of the US and Allied governments that created this hazard.
It is irresponsible to use a populated area such as this for a bombing training range.
It only make sense that, given that these people are training i.e.: they are still learning, it is highly dangerous to practice in an area with so many people nearby.
These are the same people who bombed the Chinese Embassy by mistake and killed Italian skiers while hotrodding their billion dollar death machines.
The fact that the bombs also have after affects which contaminate the area is even more chilling.
The people of Vieques have suffered enough.
j everett
tampa florida
Una votacion sobre la marina en Vieques
El periódico EL NUEVO DIA Interactivo (www.endi.com) de Puerto Rico, en su
versión de internet, ha realizado la siguiente encuenta:
¿Debe la marina norteamericana salir de Vieques?
La votación ha sido, hasta el día de hoy, ha sido la siguiente:
77.91% que sí, que salga la marina yanqui.
16.28% que no.
¡Vota contra la invasores!
Fuera la Marina
Unanse el sabado 4 y domingo 5 en una actividad en Vieques para sacar la Marina. Habran alrededor de 15 bandas reggae…
RE: Una votacion sobre la marina en Vieques
Me parece lamentable que el resultado de la encuesta hecha por El Nuevo Día, no haya arrojado resultados de 100% a favor de que la marina Norteamericana desocupe Vieques. A menos que el 16.28% de votos contrarios, represente a aquellos Puertorriqueños que tienen intereses económico y políticos en Vieques y Puerto Rico, similares a los de los invasores.
Qué piensas de esto Ivan?
La Comision Especial de Vieques dice que se vayan!
Ya está en linea el informe de la Comisión Especial de Vieques. Esta
comisión fue nombrada por el Gobernador de Puerto Rico para estudiara a
fondo la situación en la Isla de Vieques con respecto a la Marina de
Guerra de los Estados Unidos y que recomendara cual debe ser la posición
oficial del Gobierno de Puerto Rico.
Le invitamos a leer el informe que se encuentra en Internet en la página
de la comisión. Puede ser accesado en:
http://www.comisionvieques.govpr.org/informe_de_comisión.htm
RE: RE: Una votacion sobre la marina en Vieques
PLEASE LISTEN
I WANT TO KNOW ARE THE PEOPLE MAD
CAUSE OF ACCIDENT OF THE BOMB GOT DROP
I VERY SORRY IT HAPPEN
IM PUERTORRICAN AND LIKE INFOR ON HOW IT HAPPEN.
vieques
I believe that the Navy should at a minimum stop using the Island as
a location for target practice. You can bet that if Island residents had a VOTING congressional delegation that this would not be happening.
RE: vieques
Why would you bet that a voting congressional delegation would make that big a difference? We would still be a minority. The problem is much bigger than having a say in a governmental process, it’s really a matter of sovereignty.
RE: RE: RE: Una votacion sobre la marina en Vieques
Go to
http://www.comisionvieques.govpr.org — although this may be completely in Spanish. How’s your Spanish.
You can also go to
http://micronetix.net/virus/vieques.htm — this site is in English
Or better yet contact the people at:
PRC1898@aol.com –just email them and asked for info on classes. They offer classes and participate or organize demonstrations and teach-ins.
Also you might just go to the CORRIENTES section of this website and see what’s going on. There are usually announcements about classes or demos or other events.
Also, click on VIEW THREAD right on this page. I think people posted stuff about the actual incident in which el Senor Sanes got killed and four others injured in Vieques.
Economics101
The people of Puerto Rico act like children, and most of you wouldn’t know that unless you lived here!
Today it’s get the Navy out of Vieques, yesterday it was the ROTHR, next day it will be something else.
My point, you may ask, is that Puerto Rico is manipulated everyday by the liberal press. If there is a bandwagon to jump on everyone is jumping on it!
Also what about after Georges, Hortense, Hugo.. Who was the first to help? The Navy was! No one complained then.
And I can’t believe all of these enviromentalist complaining about the Navy, If you compare Vieques, Roosevelt Roads, to the rest of Puerto Rico, The Navy wins undoubtedly. The main base is spotless and is a protected area where land crabs are abundant, unlike anywhere else in Puerto Rico.
I’m not condeming your protest, however it is important to know ALL the facts of BOTH sides. That is the right we have as AMERICANS, to question our government.
My last question,, what happens if Vieques is returned to the people, then the Navy has no reason to stay in Puerto Rico,,So then when the 3,000 military personel leave, so do the 3,500 civilian jobs not to mention other various contractors that are employed from time to time. What happens to the economy of eastern PR when the Navy leaves and takes the 250Million it contributes to the economy of PR?
I remember in the late 80’s a town named Norfolk, VA published stories about how much they hated the Navy (over 100,000) until the war with Iraq when the entire Atlantic Fleet left Norfolk,, what happend?? the worst economic slump for Norfolk since the depression. If you don’t understand I’ll explain. Sailors get paid/ they spend money in your stores/which provides you a job/etc,etc..
For those of you who think PR has too many military personnel,,I invite you to go to Norfolk,North Carolina, San Diego,Jacksonville just to name a few places
There must be a way to solve this so both parties win
RE: Economics 101 Flunks
I believe you are misinterpreting the behavior of your fellow citizens. Children? You won’t even use your name–how mature is that? A few points. Norfolk is in the nation of the U.S. Puerto Rico is basically an occupied country–as the Vieques situation so clearly indicates.
If you know anything about the situation there, then you must know that they have the highest rate of cancer when compared to the Puerto Rican population in general and that the Viequenses suffer from post traumatic stress syndrome. This is too high a price to pay for 3,000 jobs or any economic stimulation. There are other and better ways.
Please go to the website on Vieques that actually posts the objective findings concerning the island. The URL is in one of the other comments.
RE: Forum On Vieques- NAVY OUT NOW!!
We must ensure that everyone has all the correct information, it was a U.S.Marine jet.
RE: Vieques–Why The Navy must Leave Now.
The only correct statement was, that there was an accident in Vieques,,,it’s amazing how people twist stories in order to make them more dramatic, in order to sway public opion. I wonder how many people that write on this message board have actually been to vieques? I have.
RE: RE: Vieques–Why The Navy must Leave Now.
As we see here, someone has been persuaded through false information!
RE: Vieques
Blantant disreguard for life? enviromental issues,, have you seen the main island?? especially after the grass is cut, it is a giant trash heap, you cannot drive 50 meters without seeing trash! what about San Juan bay,,, oh let me guess, the navy did it. Those who live in glass houses, shouldn’t throw rocks!
RE: RE: Economics 101 Flunks
IF there is an inch,,well take a foot. Blaming the problems of Puerto Rico on the Navy, a common practice today, Shows the irresponsibility of the PR government, or people, I’m not sure who to blame so I won’t. PR has water problems,,OH my the Navy is taking water from Rio Blanco,,,then that is the reason San Juan, and the rest of the island for that matter, are having problems with water! So did the canser rate study take anything else besides the navy into consideration?? like natural selection,, PSD which is a form of depression and not necessarlly a war or combat related diease,Lets consider all the facts!!
SOLUTION
In the original design and implementation of the Roosevelt Roads Naval Base, plans were to build a bridge from the main island to Vieques, however these plans were scraped,, maybe the best alternative for a win-win situation would be for the Navy to build the bridge, which would A) directly improve the economy of Vieques, Then of course the reduction of actual bombing days, and returning land( a must if a civilian bridge is to be built)
NAVY: Enough is enough
Fifty years of hell and in one’s backyard documents extreme tolerance and patience by the people of Vieques towards the Navy. The Navy should find an option elsewhere, not the viequenses. Some have suggested them to move to the Isla Grande leaving years of tradition and memories behind. Yet, those senseless beings who pose that alternative were quick to justify the US military intervention in Kosovo when the Serbs were effacing ethnic Albanians from their homes.
Fuera de Vieques! Que se vaya la marina
The Navy’s departure from Vieques is way overdue.oreover it isn’t simply a question of leaving. The U.S. Navy must acknowledge and comply with a compensation payment plan- to deal with the economic and environmental destruction of Vieques social and natural resources.
Also, the departure of the Nvy, must be seen in the context of Puerto Rican peoples’ struggle for self-determination, i.e. end of U.S. colonial rule on the Puerto Rican archipielago.
Developing Vieques
Vieques: the long road to sustainable development
by Carmelo Ruiz
(Puerto Rico. July 22 1999)
Little by little, the protesters that are trying to wrest Vieques away from the United States Navy are putting the island-municipality on the road to sustainable development.
Vieques, situated between the main island of Puerto Rico and the United
States Virgin Islands, has been used by the U.S. Navy for target practice and war games for almost sixty years.
The U.S. military owns 27,000 of the islandís 33,000 acres. Vieques’
civilian population of 9,400 is crammed into the remaining 6,000 acres.
As a result of decades of bombing with live ammunition, Vieques has inherited a legacy of toxic pollution. In May, the U.S. Navy admitted that it had tested radioactive depleted uranium shells in the island.
Vieques has a cancer rate 26 percent over Puerto Ricoís average,
according to the P.R. Health Department. Many in the island blame this
on the Navyís pollution.
Since April, several groups of protesters have been camping out in the
Navy’s firing range. But they are not just protesting. They are also working to lead Vieques towards a sustainable future.
Casa Pueblo, a grassroots organisation based in the mountain town of Adjuntas, is currently installing photovoltaic solar panels in one of the protesters’ camps to keep them supplied with energy.
The solar power plantís 100 watts of energy will be used to power fans,
recharge cellular phones, cook and provide lighting at night.
With this initiative, we are taking the first steps toward a new development model for Vieques based on community and environmental compatibility, said Casa Pueblo director Alexis Massol at a press
conference.
The organisation is also bringing to Vieques a group of biologists and
agronomers to start reforesting the devastated landscape, and conduct
scientific studies to see what can be done to restore the lagoons and
mangroves.
We will plant trees that will serve to rotect the coral reefs, and
study the lagoons to see how we can help. We donít have to wait for the
Navy to leave Viequesî, said Massol to the local press.
The goal is to end the dependency and domination from the government
and political parties, allowing Vieques residents to develop a self-determination process with a voice of their own, for freedom, peace and life.î
Casa Pueblo was originally established in 1980 to fight against plans for strip mining Puerto Ricoís mountains. After successfully defeating the mining project, the group went on dedicate itself to developing positive social and environmental alternatives for Puerto Rico’s future.
The organisation now co-manages– along with the Puerto Rico government–the 750-acre Peopleís Forest in Adjuntas, which features an agro-forestry farm, recreational facilities for children and an open-air amphiteatre.
Casa Pueblo funds its activities by growing and selling its own coffee,
Madre Isla, which is marketed locally as a socially responsible product. The Madre Isla coffee farm also has a small eco-tourism project.
Meanwhile, in another part of the Vieques firing range, the Congreso
Nacional Hostosiano (CNH), a non-partisan pro-independence organisation, is building a school. The modest one-room school is designed by high school teachers, university professors, journalists, musicians, urban planners and students.
Once finished, it will serve as a meeting point for groups and individuals that might want to learn more about the problems that the people of Vieques are suffering as a result of the Navy occupation.
Near the school, CNH volunteers are planting the first saplings of what
will be known as the Peace Forest.
Another move towards a sustainable future in Vieques is the formation
of a Technical Multidisciplinary Committee for the Development of a
Free Vieques.
The Committeeís purpose is to give the Vieques community the capacity to participate actively in the economic development of the island, according to Committee spokesman Robert Rabin.
The Committeeís members include economists, environmental planners,
architects and a former dean of the University of Puerto Rico. They
emphasize that it is vitally important that Vieques residents be in effective control over all their lands if they are ever to attain sustainable development.
The Committee is looking into the promotion of sustainable economic
activities, like fishing, agriculture and eco-tourism.
The people of Vieques have been trying to rescue their lands from the
Navy’s clutches for over half a century, and after such a long struggle
they will not permit them to fall into the hands of foreigners and/or
speculators, said the Boston-born Rabin.
What’s going on in Vieques?
Well, the move by Clinton to grant a restrictive pardon to the Puerto Rican political prisoners seems to have shifted attention away from Vieques. What is the latest on this front–and can anybody draw a connection (if there is any) between the decision to grant a limited pardon to the PRPP and any political maneuvering with Vieques. Clinton does have the report commissioned by Rosello that calls for the departure of the U.S. Navy so what’s he doing with it?
Lo que pasa en Vieques
8 de septiembre de 1999
Comunicado de Prensa
El Comité Pro Rescate y Desarrollo de Vieques (CPRDV) reveló hoy una carta
del 26 de agosto de 1999 en la cual el Senador James Inhofe (R-Okla.), quien preside el Subcomité de Preparación y Apoyo Militar del Comité de Fuerzas Armadas del Senado Federal, (Armed Services Subcommittee on Readiness and Management Support) amenazó a la Secretaria del Departamento de Justicia Federal, Janet Reno, para que tome acción inmediata contra aquellos que se encuentran ocupando terrenos de la Marina en Vieques.
Inhofe dirige este poderoso subcomité senatorial, que es responsable por el cierre de bases, la construcción, la logística y el entrenamiento militar.
Según la carta, la Marina solicitó el 3 de agosto al Agente Especial a cargo del FBI en San Juan que iniciara una investigación y que tomara las “acciones apropiadas” sobre este asunto. El Senador Inhofe describe como “desafortunada” e “irresponsable” la posición tanto del FBI como del fiscal
federal auxiliar, Jorge Vega, quien informó al FBI que “su oficina no
tomaría acción” en contra de los manifestantes en Vieques.
En el último párrafo de la carta, Inhofe exige al Inspector General del
Departamento de Justicia Federal a que investigue al fiscal Vega. Además
advierte, en forma amenazante, a la Secretaria de Justicia, Janet Reno, que
ella “?será responsible por cualquier tragedia, incluyendo la pérdida de
vidas, que resulten de la falta de acción en este asunto.”
“Esta carta revela que la Marina está tan desesperada por sacar a los
viequenses de los campamentos que han llegado al extremo de amenazar al
propio FBI y al Departamento de Justicia Federal para que tomen acción contra los que están en protesta en la zona de bombardeo,” dijo Robert Rabin del CPRDV. Rabin señaló que desde el pasado mes de abril, agentes del FBI han estado hostigando a miembros del CPRDV y a pescadores en sus residencias en Vieques.
Will the FBI raid Vieques encampments
WATCH OUT! Will the FBI or their local cronies–raid the encampments and forcibly remove the people who are stopping the target practice? I fear that the granting of clemency to the Puerto Rican political prisoners was a way of placating us on one side and now turning the guns towards Vieques.
RE: Economics101
You need to get a head docor. Two members of my family are Navy. The highest rate of cancer in the Western hemisphere is in Vieques. The Navy that used Vieques to train personnel to kill Germans in World War II are standing watch as the U.S. government is collecting millions of deutsche marks, as the Germans are now using the place for target practice. The island of Vieques is a microcosym of what the government is systematically doing to the entire island of Puerto Rico. And is now passing Vieques around like a play-thing, to be whored by other countries in order to prepare for some future conflict. It’s time to leave the little lady (Vieques) alone. Then with time, allow her matron (Puerto Rico) to forget her past and evolve into the RICH PORT, that she was originally destined to be.
RE: RE: US/NATO Military Out of Vieques
Precisely the problem is that the puertoricans don’t consider the US navy to be our navy. US citizenship was imposed on our parents and grandparents by an act of congress on a militarily conquered nation just so we could fight in their wars. Some of us haven’t forgotten.
RE: vieques
We don’t want a voting congressional delegation. We want all the US military out of our national territory. The US has been an uninvited guest for 100 years. Is time for them to go back home. We want to be FREE.
RE: SOLUTION
The only acceptable solution is for the US navy to get out. They should bomb the Carolinas, Maine, Louisiana, Texas or any other eastern state with a coast line. It’s their navy and their wars for their economic interests so let them pay the price not Puerto Rico.
RE: Economics101
Freedom you are totally wrong and it seems that you are the misguided child. It’s not a question of Puerto Rico being manipulated. It’s a question of Puerto Rico protecting itself against an uninvited and abusive guest. What the US does after the hurricanes in P.R. is not help. It’s just a matter of keeping a slave population healthy. My child you seem to think that the US is the 13th apostle chosen by Christ to help humanity. Let me tell you that they are wolves in sheep skins. The only motive that moves the US in their relations with PR is economic gains. So you are impressed with the cleanliness of the military bases. My child that’s part of mantaining a military dicipline. It’s clear to me that you like crabs. Tell me if they are as abundant in the target ranges in Vieques. You mention Norfolk, North Carolina, San Diego and Jacksonville. Tell me child if the populations of these foreign places are within hearing distance of constant bombings by a foreign navy or for that matter if uranium ordinance is used so close to their civilian populations. You also mention the revenues for Puerto Rico from the military bases. Those bases could all close right know and we would benefit more from it than loose. The US intelligence personnel that operates from those bases to keep the puertorican economy dependant and to ensure that US companies sell all their excess production in the island would go with them. Maybe then we could develope our own economy without US intervention and that woul result in new jobs. Don’t you think? I’m not interested in both parties winning. I’m interested in Puerto Rico winning by ending the abuse of the US.
RE: Economics101
Freedom you are totally wrong and it seems that you are the misguided child. It’s not a question of Puerto Rico being manipulated. It’s a question of Puerto Rico protecting itself against an uninvited and abusive guest. What the US does after the hurricanes in P.R. is not help. It’s just a matter of keeping a slave population healthy. My child you seem to think that the US is the 13th apostle chosen by Christ to help humanity. Let me tell you that they are wolves in sheep skins. The only motive that moves the US in their relations with PR is economic gains. So you are impressed with the cleanliness of the military bases. My child that’s part of mantaining a military dicipline. It’s clear to me that you like crabs. Tell me if they are as abundant in the target ranges in Vieques. You mention Norfolk, North Carolina, San Diego and Jacksonville. Tell me child if the populations of these foreign places are within hearing distance of constant bombings by a foreign navy or for that matter if uranium ordinance is used so close to their civilian populations. You also mention the revenues for Puerto Rico from the military bases. Those bases could all close right know and we would benefit more from it than loose. The US intelligence personnel that operates from those bases to keep the puertorican economy dependant and to ensure that US companies sell all their excess production in the island would go with them. Maybe then we could develope our own economy without US intervention and that woul result in new jobs. Don’t you think? I’m not interested in both parties winning. I’m interested in Puerto Rico winning by ending the abuse of the US.
RE: Economics101
Freedom you are totally wrong and it seems that you are the misguided child. It’s not a question of Puerto Rico being manipulated. It’s a question of Puerto Rico protecting itself against an uninvited and abusive guest. What the US does after the hurricanes in P.R. is not help. It’s just a matter of keeping a slave population healthy. My child you seem to think that the US is the 13th apostle chosen by Christ to help humanity. Let me tell you that they are wolves in sheep skins. The only motive that moves the US in their relations with PR is economic gains. So you are impressed with the cleanliness of the military bases. My child that’s part of mantaining a military dicipline. It’s clear to me that you like crabs. Tell me if they are as abundant in the target ranges in Vieques. You mention Norfolk, North Carolina, San Diego and Jacksonville. Tell me child if the populations of these foreign places are within hearing distance of constant bombings by a foreign navy or for that matter if uranium ordinance is used so close to their civilian populations. You also mention the revenues for Puerto Rico from the military bases. Those bases could all close right know and we would benefit more from it than loose. The US intelligence personnel that operates from those bases to keep the puertorican economy dependant and to ensure that US companies sell all their excess production in the island would go with them. Maybe then we could develope our own economy without US intervention and that woul result in new jobs. Don’t you think? I’m not interested in both parties winning. I’m interested in Puerto Rico winning by ending the abuse of the US.
RE: SOLUTION
The only acceptable solution is for the US navy to get out. They should bomb the Carolinas, Maine, Louisiana, Texas or any other eastern state with a coast line. It’s their navy and their wars for their economic interests so let them pay the price not Puerto Rico.
PENTAGON PREPARES TO EVICT PROTESTERS FROM TARGET
10-1-99
PENTAGON PREPARES TO EVICT PROTESTERS FROM TARGET RANGE
By STEWART M. POWELL
c.1999 Hearst Newspapers
WASHINGTON _ The Pentagon, anticipating that President Clinton will
temporarily reopen a target range on the Puerto Rican island of Vieques,
is developing plans for U.S. marshals to evict protesters from the site
and for U.S. Coast Guard vessels to intercept any other demonstrators
arriving by sea.
The preparations set the stage for a potential confrontation between
federal law enforcement officers and Puerto Rican demonstrators who have
occupied the target range for the last five months in an effort to prevent
the Navy and Marine Corps from using it.
A four-member Pentagon review panel appointed at the request of the
president has recommended resumption of live-fire combat training on
Vieques.
A senior Pentagon official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said
Friday that Clinton administration officials who report to Defense
Secretary William Cohen and Attorney General Janet Reno are developing
contingency plans to evict demonstrators.
“The goal will be to protect the safety of protesters in the live
impact area as they are removed from the site,” the official said.
Bill Licatovich, a spokesman at the headquarters of the U.S. Marshals
Service in Washington, D.C., declined to comment about any Vieques
planning by the marshals.
“We’re aware of the situation on Vieques but at this point in time, we do
not have any marching orders,” Licatovich said. “We do not comment on
provisional planning for any kind of operation.”
Navy Secretary Richard Danzig has written twice to Puerto Rico Gov.
Pedro Rossello to urge him to help persuade the trespassers to leave the
site on their own accord. Danzig appealed to Puerto Rican authorities
again, in remarks distributed by his office on Friday.
“If President Clinton orders us to leave, we’ll leave,” Danzig said.
But noting “increasing talk of civil disobedience,” Danzig added:
spective New York Senate campaign of First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton
because the Vieques issue is an emotional one among Puerto Ricans.
Voters born in Puerto Rico make up about 60 percent of the 2.6 million
Hispanics in New York state.
Rossello, the Democratic governor of Puerto Rico, has offered to
campaign for Mrs. Clinton in New York and has been vocal in his
opposition to the use of Vieques for target practice. He has vowed to
seek a federal court injunction to block any resumption of firing there.
Other prominent political leaders such as Rep. Carlos Romero-Barcelo,
D-Puerto Rico, and civil rights leader Jesse Jackson have vowed to serve
as “human shields” to thwart the Navy’s use of the target range if the
White House approves resumption of bombing.
Robert Rubin, a member of the Vieques-based Committee for the Rescue and
Development of Vieques, said his organization would help to find
substitutes to take the place of any protesters arrested by law
enforcement officers at the series of encampments. “There are plenty of
Vieques volunteers to fill the camps as soon as they are taken,” Rubin
said.
Organizers for the Vieques Support Campaign scheduled a rally in New
York City on Saturday at Hunter College and a vigil outside the gates of
the Navy maneuver range on Vieques.
Presidential Council Recommendations
Well, what do you think about their 5 year plan. The stand-off continues. Again, it’s up to Clinton to act. Just as he did with the political prisoners. What do you think he will do? Hillary really cleaned up her act, didn’t she?
Vieques resolution passed by AFL-CIO
The 23rd Convention of the American
Federation of Labor-Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), meeting in Los Angeles, California, from the 11th to 13th of October, 1999, resolves to:
1. Express our support of the people of Vieques and Puerto Rico in their
struggle to live in peace, to stop U.S. Navy bombing and to have its immediate and permanent removal from the island
municipality;
2. Support the firm position taken by the Puerto Rico Federation of Labor,
AFL-CIO, the Puerto Rican working class, the Government of Puerto Rico and the general public in support of the struggle of the people of Vieques;
3. Request that the President of the U.S., Bill Clinton, order the
permanent end of bombing of Vieques and the removal of the U.S. Navy from
that Puerto Rican island; and
4. Demand that the U.S. Navy make reparations for the destruction of the
environment that it has caused and assist in the social and economic
development of the people of Vieques.
Vieques/Washington Post
Editorial Washington Post – viernes 22 oct. 1999
The Pentagon and Vieques
Friday, October 22, 1999; Page A32
A PENTAGON-appointed panel, the defense secretary and the president, pronouncing on the volatile Vieques issue, urge the United States and Puerto Rico to continue working to serve American military readiness on the one hand and local safety, economic and environmental considerations on the other.
This flows from the death of a civilian guard last April at the valuable live-fire training ground on Vieques, a satellite island a few miles off Puerto Rico at whose other end 9,000 American citizens live.
Well, yes: dialogue, compromise, work it out. But the mismatch is painful. The U.S. government has the power, the Puerto Ricans are left to protest. A
memorandum of understanding in 1983 — far from the first such effort — was
meant to address Vieques’s neglected concerns. But, concedes the Pentagon
panel, too little was done both in preparing fleetworthy live-fire training
alternatives and in showing respect to Vieques. This is how the April accident came to stir major continuing demonstrations, including live-ins
right in the firing range. The issue has generated intense nationalistic passion in Puerto Rico, and a feeling of betrayal and no-confidence reigns.
Chairing a Vieques hearing Tuesday, Sen. John Warner said that, doing their
patriotic duty, his own constituents in Quantico sit closer to an active live-fire range than do residents of Vieques. But the senator failed to note that his constituents command a powerful alternative device to ensure their
safety. They have a full role in the American political system; they have
Sen. John Warner. By contrast, the Americans who live in Vieques cling to the fringe of the American system. They have no voting or Senate representation.
They lack a political status — statehood or independence — that would give them a fair chance to make their case.
The competing requirements of the American military and the people of Vieques do need to be worked on harder. But the root problem of modernizing a
colonial connection now entering its second century remains to be effectively
addressed.
Harvard Professors and Students for Vieques
Twenty-five (25) professors and hundreds of students from Harvard University have signed a petition requesting that President Clinton stop the bombing of Vieques and that he remove all military personnel from the island. A copy of the petition and the complete list of professors is included below.
The professors, who have been joined by over 200 students from Harvard, have expressed their overwhelming support of the people of Vieques and have signed the petition as a pledge of solidarity. Hans Perl-Matanzo, Director of Harvard Students for Peace in Vieques Now!, explained that the petition was sent to President Clinton today and that, since more signatures from other professors and students are expected, his group
will send updated lists to the White House in the coming days. Perl-Matanzo is also encouraging professors, students and the public at-large to support the work of the Committee for the Rescue and Development of Vieques and to call the White House Comment Line at 202-456-4111 and demand that the President order the US Navy out of Vieques now.
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Contact: Hans S. Perl-Matanzo,
Director of Harvard Students for Peace in Vieques, Now!
phone: (617) 493-5918
e-mail: matanzo@fas.harvard.edu
Ricky Martin says stop the bombing too!
Ricky Martin has taken a public position on Vieques, urging the U.S. to end all bombing on that island. He is supposed to be meeting with Clinton next week concerning this issue, according to El Nuevo Mundo. “Puerto Rico is united in this cause and I’m part of it,” Martin said.
BY
TODO EL BARRIO CON VIEQUES
On Monday evening, October 25, a group of East Harlem community leaders met in Congressman Rangel’s local office to come up with an action plan in support of the 4 demands of the people of Vieques Puerto Rico:
1) Demilitarizacion – that the U.S. Navy immediately cease all bombing & military practice on and near Vieques; and that it (the Navy) leave the island totally & permanently.
2) Devolucion – that the lands occupied by the Navy be returned to the people of Vieques.
3) Descontaminacion – total environmental restoration of all areas
contaminated due to 60 years of military maneuvers.
4) Deasarrollo – Not less than $3600 million dollars in compensation foe
damages caused by military occupation to be used for sustainable economic
development o restore fishing, agriculture, animal husbandry, light industry and to foster ecotourism.
Our preliminary plan includes the following elements:
Press Conference. To be held at a location in East Harlem within the next
two weeks to announce the launching of our effort, TODO EL BARRIO CON VIEQUES,
and schedule of activities. All local elected officials, religious and
community leaders, residents, and supporters will be invited to attend.
Proposed date: Tuesday, 11/9/99, 1 PM. Miriam will draft press release. We
need a place.
Color-Coded (Aqua) Post Card Campaign We will have 10,000 post cards printed
in aqua addressed to the President, U.S. Senators Moynihan and Schumer and a
blank for the person to address to their local Congressperson. It will
state that the US Navy must leave Vieques, Puerto Rico immediately and
support for the 4 Demands (see above). Space will be provided for the
person’s signature, his/her printed name and address. Robert will design the
postcard and se what organization(s) will contribute the printing.
Car Caravan. The Saturday following the Press Conference from 11-1, we will
have a colorful car caravan with flags and posters leaving from 106th Street
& 1st Avenue. The caravan will be led by a soundtruck with music, speakers
and flyers. We will cover the avenues 1st to Park from 99th to 123rd
Streets. Proposed date: Saturday, 11/13, 11AM -1 PM. We need a sound truck,
who has one???
Evening Candlelight Procession. Ask East Harlem churches to celebrate an
ecumenical prayer service preceded or followed by a candlelight procession.
Proposed date: Wednesday, 11/17, 7-9 PM.
Flyer. To inform the community of our organization, the 4 demands and the
schedule of activities.
Outreach to Unions. Ask leadership to send letters of support of Vieques to
the President, the 2 US Senators and the NYS Congressional delegation.
The people of Vieques are counting on us, please come to the next meeting of TODO EL BARRIO CON VIEQUES, Monday, 11/1/99, at Congressman Rangel’s Office,
2110 First Avenue (1199 Plaza bet.109-110th Sts.). For further information,
call Miriam Falcon-Lopez (212)348-9630 or Gloria E. Quinones (212)348-8004.
White House shenanigans
Muchos saludos. Escribire en ingles, por si hay algunos destinatarios
que no lean espanol. It is certainly true that President Clinton surprisingly short circuited his own process when he made those calls to Gov. Rossello last weekend. Puerto Ricans have been pretty patient with the bureaucratic charades coming out of the White House: First
>establishing a panel last June of three military officers with the only Puerto Rican, Diego Hernandez, having been officially declared persona non-grata by the people of Vieques. Then waiting four months before the “Rush Panel” issued its insulting proposal for limited bombing” and leaving the decision to leave Vieques in the hands of the Navy. After that, Clinton asked Defense Secretary Cohen to initiate a process of “dialogue” with the Govt. of PR. About ten days ago, Clinton himself
said in an interview that he had asked Cohen to continue the dialogue and wait for about a month (i.e. until mid-December) before Cohen gives the President his recommendation. Then, ignoring this whole process, Clinton meets with Cohen and the Navy last week on Veteran’s Day and the
following day has a “decision”, which is adverse to the people of Vieques. That evening, Jeffrey Farrow (the White House’s point person on Vieques) participates in a Vieques forum in NY and says there’s nothing new to report, when he very well knew that a decision had been taken without even consulting the Governor and by bypassing the process. The following day, on Saturday, Clinton calls Rossello and tells him what his decision is. Rossello asks Clinton to give him time to consult with his Vieques Commission. He does and later that day reports to
Clinton that they won’t accept that decision (which Rossello tells the
media is an offer/proposal, something Clinton doesn’t object to since he
doesn’t want to be seen as imposing his will against the people’s will).
Rossello then comes up with the desperate and widely repudiated idea of
holding a “consulta” or referendum in Vieques, but is initially cryptic
about its proposed content and purpose. When he finally reveals that his proposed “consulta” would be a “yes” or “no” vote on Clinton’s proposal (i.e. if “yes” then the Navy can stay for at least a few years, bomb you for 90 days a year, but they’ll throw money at you; if “no”, then you are stuck with the status quo, which means, at least 180 days of bombing a year, no money, etc.), it is rejected by all in the Vieques
community and even by the Governor’s own Vieques Commission, which is comprised of an overwhelming pro-Statehood majority. The Governor then scraps the whole idea. It is then revealed that the Pentagon was behind the “consulta” idea, either as an initiator or at least as a supporter. Rossello (and most likely Farrow) thought that the “consulta” idea would help him and the President save face, but it was so transparently bogus, sneaky and insulting as to be stillborn from day one.