[gundog]

Paging President Bartlett.

[wayoverontheright]

"Without Vieques there is no way I need the Navy facilities at Roosevelt Roads -- none."

I spent four years in Puerto Rico as a student and visit friends there often. I've also been to Roosevelt Roads and Vieques. Upon my visit to Vieques, being an American I was curious about how the locals viewed the presence of the Naval bomb training unit. They led me to believe (this was in the eighties) that they were fully aware that their economy benefitted greatly and were quite happy to have them there.

In my opinion, this thing was totally engineered by agitators from the outside. In Puerto Rico the left is represented by the "independentistas", an openly socialist faction that comprises maybe 4 or 5 per cent of the population, and, of course on our mainland the part of the left that took up the Vieques cause were the greens and the peaceniks. Actually Al Sharpton even got involved last year.

What you have to understand is that "Rosey Roads" is a huge naval base on an island that is 35 by 100 miles and the Vieques training effort is a very small contingent on an island one mile by two miles long. What the lefties wanted was the elimination of the target practice on Vieques but never dreamed it would cause the navy to yank Rosey Roads! I believe the Clinton administration gave them assurances that this wouldn't happen.

Is this under the category of "be careful what you wish for, or what?

[meadsjn]

Puerto Rico, Oregon, and Washington constantly jockey about for particular rank, but remain the three worst states/territories for employment. The common thread between them is that their residents and politicians want to strangle every productive economic activity through taxation, regulation, or outright banning; yet, they think they deserve a higher standard of living for their stupidity.

Rosy Roads actually is used for much more than a landing dock for Vieques, but it's a fair turnabout for the USN to close it in retribution. St. Croix would probably let us build a couple of extra piers for our off-shore stuff in that area, if necessary.

If I remember correctly, RR is the largest Navy base (in acreage) in the world.

[CyberAnt]

"Gov. Sila Calderon, who had pressed for a halt to the training, said Wednesday that her government will lobby for the base to remain open"

Maybe she should have thought of that before she protested for us to leave!!

[BillyBoy]

>> Gov. Sila Calderon, who had pressed for a halt to the training, said Wednesday that her government will lobby for the base to remain open. With some 4,800 employees and temporary contractors, Roosevelt Roads is one of Puerto Rico's largest employers. "The people of Puerto Rico don't have any interest in the closing of the Roosevelt Roads base," Calderon said. " <<

Awwww...poor widdle liberals. How unfair that you don't get to keep earning $$$ off a base that you dictated not be allowed to do it's job.

If you wanted the base to stay open so bad, you shouldn't have encourged Al Shapton and Martin Sheen to keep barricading themselves in front of it.

Oh well.

[Righty1]

I want the rose, you get the thorn! PR has to choose once and for all.

[Consort]

Vieques

[jackbill]

A classic case of wanting your cake and eating it too.

No training on Vieques, no need for Rosey Roads. None. Close it down.

[PogySailor]

Gov. Sila Calderon, who had pressed for a halt to the training, said Wednesday that her government will lobby for the base to remain open. With some 4,800 employees and temporary contractors, Roosevelt Roads is one of Puerto Rico's largest employers.

Should have thought about that before you ran the Navy out of their training area. Why keep Rosy Roads open if it serves no useful function?

[genefromjersey]

You're a bit late, Guv !

Hope the entire Naval presence is withdrawn !

[Torie]

Not that the base has been stripped of its usefulness, it is time to make it into a pork barrel project.

[Godel]

"The people of Puerto Rico don't have any interest in the closing of the Roosevelt Roads base," Calderon said. "The government of Puerto Rico is interested in that base staying in Puerto Rico, for all the economic benefits."

Huh? Last I checked, military bases stayed open because they served a vital purpose in our national security, not because of the economic benefits they provide the area. If the ignorant Puerto Ricans don't want the bombing of a tiny pissant island, they can do without the base. You reap what you sow.

[KansasConservative1]

"The Navy has trained on Vieques since 1947. Opponents say the exercises have damaged the environment and the health of the island's 9,100 residents, but the Navy denies the accusations."

9100(island residents) - 4,800(bye bye jobs) = 4300 people left to complain. The problem is solving itself.

[Caipirabob]

*SIGH* Once again the lives of hard working innocents are financially decimated by Leftist idiocy.

[gogeo]

Gov. Sila Calderon, who had pressed for a halt to the training, said Wednesday that her government will lobby for the base to remain open. With some 4,800 employees and temporary contractors, Roosevelt Roads is one of Puerto Rico's largest employers.

Life's a b*tch, honey. Just make sure you want what you ask for.