Posted on 06/27/2006 6:48:07 AM PDT by Ebenezer
(English-language translation)
The 4th of July commemoration in the Municipality of San Juan will cost some $50,000 and will feature Mayor Jorge Santini, former Governor Carlos Romero Barceló, Senator Pedro Rosselló, and retired Navy Admiral Kevin Green as invited speakers.
Santini reported yesterday that the observance will be dedicated to Romero for his defense of the democractic system, and an official representative of the White House is expected.
"We celebrate the sixth edition of the traditional 4th of July activities under my administration, a day that commemorates the independence of the nation we are citizens of, an activity that had been banished by past municipal administrations and that yours truly rescued for the benefit of all Puerto Ricans," Santini stated.
The Municipal Executive justified the participation by Green, the last admiral of the Roosevelt Roads Naval [Station] who commanded war exercises in Vieques, by pointing out that he helped secure from the military some land for a children's home in San Juan.
Green was the Navy's spokesman in its unsuccessful campaign to remain in Vieques. By virtue of this position, he was criticized by numerous organizations both in Vieques and in the rest of Puerto Rico as well as on the international level, who understood that the [military] maneuvers were affecting the population.
In a referendum, the majority of the [Vieques] population called for a stop to the bombing and the withdrawal of the Navy, the latter of which occured on May 1, 2003 following a presidential directive approved by Congress.
"Kevin Green's presence is due to the fact that, during his tenure as a member of the United States Armed Forces and the Navy, he was an excellent exponent of the presence of the United States government, our relationship with the Navy, the military presence in Puerto Rico, and the importance of solidifying those bases," [Santini] stressed to questions from EL VOCERO.
The Mayor indicated, in turn, that New Progressive Party Chairman [Rosselló] will also speak in his capacity as former Governor.
According to Santini, the 230th anniversary of the 4th of July [to be celebrated] in Colón Square in Old San Juan will be an activity dedicated to the whole family and will feature children's activities, kiosks, music by well-known artists, and even fireworks.
The event will begin at 11:00 AM with the opening of kiosks, inflatables, a show by Chevy and young [singing] group Los Nenes.
At 2:00 PM, there will be a civil-military parade with representatives of the Armed Forces and several artists' groups, dancers from the San Juan Communities Talented Youth Program, among others.
The official act will begin at 4:00 PM.
Members of the different branches of government and Governor Aníbal Acevedo Vilá have been invited to the commemoration.
At 6:00 PM, the "Bohemia en Dos Tiempos" show with artists Lou Briel, Melina León, and Tito El Bambino will start.
Comptroller Manuel Díaz Saldaña has recommended in the past that administrations not incur in extravagant expenses for the 4th and 25th of July ([Puerto Rico Constitution Day)] festivities.
In another matter, the Mayor did not want to comment on the controversy over the tax-reform bill approved on Sunday night. He affirmed that he is waiting to see what legislation will be submitted to Acevedo for his signature.
The Senate considered the version approved by the House [of Representatives] as authorizing a sales tax of 7% rather than 5.5%.
ping
Good bye and don't let the door hit ya in the arse BUMP!
Puerto Ricans celebrate July 4th, Independence Day, here in the states just the same as all other regular citizens. So why not celebrate it equally on the island? After all, they are just as much citizens on the island as on the mainland. I'm proud to be Puerto Rican, but more than that, I'm proud to be an American.
Good bye and don't let the door hit ya in the arse BUMP!
Umm....They're talking about the Fourth of July celebration.
Until the Boricua speak English as their FIRST language, such a show of "loyalty" to Uncle Sugar will be interpreted as another fiesta.
Nevertheless, I hope you guys have a good time down there and that you take time to remember those of your fellow islanders who are serving in the armed forces. That you can do in any language, including Carib Spanish. :-)
I like to refer to the holiday more as "Independence Day" rather than "the 4th of July", since the former reminds us clearly of what all the fuss is about: that we as a nation bow to no other nation (which should also be the case with the U.N. and similar groups) and that we, placing our trust in Divine Providence, chart our own destiny as a people. The opposite would be like referring to Christmas as simply "the 25th of December".
It's a token celebration for the tourists. It's stateside tourists that populate the cruise ships that dock in 'Old San Juan' during the winter and spring and the hotels all-year-round.
Snub the 'Independence Day' celebration now and the local economy will pay a price a thousand times that paltry $50,000, they're spending on their celebration, in lost tourism revenues in the years to come.
The dirty little secret that Mayor Santini and all of the other politicians in Puerto Rico are trying to keep is that the majority of the 4 million residents of Puerto Rico are Americans in name only. Our 'Independence Day' celebration means nothing to them, they only care about the $17 billion dollars in cash that they'll get from us U.S. Taxpayers this year, the thousands of federal government and private sector jobs that have been hijacked to the island, the billions in federal corporate income taxes that Puerto Rican subsidiaries of U.S. corporations can avoid, each year, by pretending to be FOREIGN corporations on their tax returns, FOODSTAMPS, WELFARE, etc., etc., ad infinitum.
Adorno, just so we're clear about this before you start your rant about how any U.S. Taxpayer that doesn't want to have their pockets picked by the 4 million, ungrateful, freeloaders on the island of Puerto Rico anymore must hate or dislike Puerto Ricans, that doesn't have anything to do with it.
We, the U.S. Taxpayers, are tired of having our pockets picked by everyone that's picking them and we want it all stopped.
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