Indicted Puerto Rico Governor Now Demands “Sovereignty” for the Island (“Wag-the-Dog” Scenario)

NotiUno.com (Spanish-language news brief) ^ | April 28, 2008

[SaxxonWoods]

Not gonna happen. If it did, all the men holding up the arches by leaning on them would have to go to work, and everything in Puerto Rico would fall down.

[Ebenezer]

Playing the nationalistic card serves Acevedo well because 1) his winning the governorship in 2004 was only possible thanks to independence supporters who bolted the PIP and voted for him (a support he must be desperately counting on again) and 2) he is all too sorry he got caught raiding campaign-money cookie jar.

Regarding the latter reason, Acevedo should have known better. Running for federal elective office in 2000, he was bound by federal election laws, hence indictments from the local U.S. Attorney.

[Alter Kaker]

Wow, no shortage of bigotry on FR. Puerto Rico, btw, has a dynamic economy and is far and away the wealthiest Hispanic entity in the Americas.

[Ebenezer]

The island’s pro-statehood leaders should realize they have an excellent opportunity to exploit Acevedo’s born-again nationalism and talk the members of the PPD’s more conservative, pro-American wing into voting for the PNP in November.

[Ebenezer]

You noticed too, huh? It amazes me that Acevedo’s “Yankee-Go-Home” demagoguery (which is not necessarily the will of the vast majority of Puerto Ricans) is used as an excuse to bring out the simplistic “let ‘em go” attitude toward’s the island’s residents.

[puppypusher]

I see No problem n giving Puerto Rico its independence from the United States.

Whats good for them is better for us.

That sounds like a great deal.

[Clock King]

No sir, it’s not bigotry. So why is PR still a commonwealth? They get a chance at statehood or independence about once a decade and they always reject it for the status quo. Why? They like their little game of having US protection without US obligation (that a state would have). So, many of us on mainland find that unfair. Either be a part of our family, or go it alone, but stop playing us for fools.

[adorno]

Wow, no shortage of bigotry on FR. Puerto Rico

I was thinking the same thing.

Here I am, born in Puerto Rico and very much patriotic towards the U.S., and also served in the Marines (in Vietnam), and all that I and other Puerto Ricans are being subjected to the vitriol and apparent bigotry from, what I had considered, fellow FReepers?

I am highly disappointed today.

[adorno]

Sorry that middle sentence in post #68 didn’t come out in good English, but anger can sometimes cause you to make mistakes.

[Ebenezer]

Acevedo’s efforts to shift the PPD towards the nationalistic left should be a wake-up call to Puerto Ricans who support U.S. citizenship. There have been the occasional rumblings within his party about sovereignty issues, but never as explicit as his, to the best of my memory.

I agree that Puerto Rico should be in all the way with the Union or out all the way, with no “Free Association”, “Commonwealth”, or “Associated Republic” option. Unfortunately, no political leader in the island has had enough gumption to force the issue with a strict “statehood or independence” plebiscite. The play-it-safe “Commonwealth” crutch is always included.

[Ebenezer]

You know, if fellow FReepers are going to complain about Puerto Rico as a welfare-happy Democratic stronghold, there are few states out there that might as well be expelled from the Union. Their criticisms do no justice to those Puerto Ricans who support statehood and are ready and willing to take on the responsibilities of a state, federal taxation included.

[PeterPrinciple]

has a dynamic economy and is far and away the wealthiest Hispanic entity in the Americas.

---

Interesting, now tell why this is so.

[Ebenezer]

Oops! I meant “a few states out there”, not “few states out there” as if implying there are not many.

[adorno]

Acevedo’s efforts to shift the PPD towards the nationalistic left should be a wake-up call to Puerto Ricans who support U.S. citizenship.

You have a very good point there.

I agree that Puerto Rico should be in all the way with the Union or out all the way, with no “Free Association”, “Commonwealth”, or “Associated Republic” option. Unfortunately, no political leader in the island has had enough gumption to force the issue with a strict “statehood or independence” plebiscite. The play-it-safe “Commonwealth” crutch is always included.

You have some more good points there too.

To expand on your points. whenever a plebiscite is held for statehood or commonwealth or independence, ALL Puerto Ricans should be able to vote, no matter where they reside, whether in the U.S. or any other country. As long as they were born on the Island and as long as they would like to continue being identified as Puerto Ricans, then they should be allowed to help determine the future of the island.

But, I would take it a step further, and in a way, to appease those here in the FR forum and anywhere else that feel that Puerto Ricans are a burden, Puerto Ricans should be given a very hard choice to make. Namely that if Puerto Ricans, all of them, no matter where they reside, were to decide that Puerto Rico would become independent, that their citizenship in the U.S. would no longer be valid. That is, unless they wanted to become citizens of the U.S. in the traditional way, in other words, through the application process that new immigrants have to follow.

Thus, it wouldn't just be the current residents of Puerto Rico that would have a stake in the political process and independence of Puerto Rico. And, if all the people that identify themselves as Puerto Ricans had a vote, then perhaps Puerto Rico would finally have a vote count that would tilt the decision towards statehood. After all, if the mainland U.S. Puerto Ricans want to retain U.S. citizenship while continuing their special relationship with Puerto Rico, then it would behoove them to go and vote for statehood.

I for one would vote for statehood, but if independence were to be the decision, then I would want to retain my U.S. citizenship, even if I had to apply for it.

[RebelBanker]

I can think of a few choice Spanish words to describe this scumbag! Most of them (loosely translated) mean “Clinton.”

[cll]

“Most of them (loosely translated) mean “Clinton.”

Actually, it’s worse. He’s for Obama!

[Ebenezer]

Your proposals, adorno, are quite interesting. However, is revoking U.S. citizenship en masse constitutional, and are we applying the principle of los justos pagando con los pecadores?

While driving home from work yesterday evening, I could not but think what a wretched demagogue Acevedo is, willing to damage our relationship with the United States just to save his political behind and cling to power. That the PPD delegates allowed themselves to be practically bullied into accepting his bid for re-election without the benefit of a secret-ballot process speaks volumes; I don't think that, even in his most blatant dedocracia days, Muñoz Marín would have pulled a stunt like that.

From our experience here in Louisiana, the feds have been second-to-none in prosecuting corrupt officials and their cronies. Imagine if Puerto Rico lost such a reliable source of law enforcement to the delight of an Acevedo; then the island would truly be an anything-goes corrupt banana republic.

[Jack Black]

Wow, no shortage of bigotry on FR. Puerto Rico, btw, has a dynamic economy and is far and away the wealthiest Hispanic entity in the Americas.

Define "bigotry".

So, it is a welthy "Hispanic entity". so what?? Do we want a "Hispanic Entity" as part of our nation? I do not.

The American ownership or control or federation or whatever is a legacy of Theo. Roosevelt and his absurd Spanish American war. It was a real low point in American history and it is LONG PAST time that we undo it.

BTW: I feel the same way about Guam, Saipan, etc. But those places have tiny populations and zero hostility to the USA. The PR independents have attacked Congress with guns (1950s), gone on a bombing campaign (1970s) and demanded elections ever decade or so to vote on continuing association with us. That's not a happy relationship.

Why do Puerto Rican's get to vote and the rest of us don't? These are all "advisory" votes anyway. I'd like to see a series of "advisory" votes in the existing 50 states: "Resolved: The USA should not offer state hood to Puerto Rico, and should encourage it's full independence in a timely manner". I'd like my opinion to count.

Invitations are usually extended by the host, not the guest.

[Jack Black]

Again, why do Puerto Ricans (in your scheme) get to vote but the rest of us don’t?

Also, I don’t agree with your “all Puerto Rican’s” lose citizenship if the vote is no.

Citizenship is a individual matter, not a group one. The USA has never revoked citizenship of a group, and should not.

All current PR’s *are* US Citizenship. If the independence motion passes they should all be given US citizenship (except perhaps convicted felons) if they want it, perhaps with a requirement that they renounce their Puerto Rican citizenship, or take residence in the USA to within a certain amount of time.

[Jack Black]

For any other bitter, bigoted, mono-lingual freepers out there who don’t speak the language of the invaders the translation of the Spanish phrase “los justos pagando con los pecadores?” is “the righteous paying with sinners?”.

At least, that’s what Google translator says!