Base Yes, Bombs No : Do Vieques Protesters Want It Both Ways?

ABCNEWS ^ | March 14, 2003 | John Stossel

[JmyBryan]

No wonder Democrats are for gun control - they keep shooting themselves.

[BlueLancer]

Fine ... don't close the base. Just withdraw all personnel except for housekeeping requirements, close the BX, close the commissary if there is one, make service there a one-year unaccompanied "hardship" tour without dependents for housekeeping personnel (thus, dependent housing would be cleared) and don't rotate any military assets (ships, planes, units) through the base.

It would be, for all intents and purposes, dead ... a zombie base.

[Mister Baredog]

Serrano said, "One could argue that half of the military budget has been a waste of money for a long time." He says the military shouldn't have any say in closing the base

Don't you just love the way the democrat mind works. Let's keep the base for votes but screw the military, they have no say. Unfortunately too much of the military budget is spent with this attitude, "keep the pork coming"

[YOMO]

BYE, BYE, Rosey Roads.
Attn. next country or even a state that wants to stop military action at a MILITARY BASE. Stop and add up the dollars the base contributes to your local econ BEFORE STARTING PROTESTS.

[rface]

to Puerto Rico: "These are our friends and neighbors and they don't want us there," Bush said.

to South Korea: "These are our friends and neighbors and they don't want us there," Bush said.

to Germany: "These are our friends and neighbors and they don't want us there," Bush said.

to France: "These are our friends and neighbors and they don't want us there," Bush said.

And anti-America protesters keep talking about The American Imperialism.....

[dighton]

Then four years ago, a pilot made a tragic mistake. He dropped two bombs in the wrong place and killed David Sanes, a security guard. Immediately, activists started leading protests against the Navy bombing.

I seem to recall that they were protesting long before that. Anyone?

[wideawake]

Serrano said, "One could argue that half of the military budget has been a waste of money for a long time."

One could also argue that Puerto Rico has been a waste of taxpayer money for a long time.

[Lee Heggy]

Close it for training purposes. Redevelop it as an unsupervised 'summer camp' for disadvantaged urban youth.

[dagnabbit]

Let's see range is useless, so base is useless. And if base is useless, territory is useless.

Solution: Get rid of the whole parasitic island. - Let the new Republic of Puerto Rico spend their pesos, and not my tax dollars, on a do-nothing base.

[PhilDragoo]

Sorry, Puerto Rico, all your base are belong to us.

No more billions of American tax dollars for you.

[battlecry]

You are correct. This has been going on for years and for different reasons. While many protests were truly anti-American and supported by the Puerto Rican pro-independence political party, the latest set of protests have a land-development angle to it. It is a nice island, with some phosphorescent waters in one of the bays. The plan was to kick the Navy out, have them pay to clean Vieques of bombs and other military debris, and then develop the island and make many dollars. I'm glad the Navy wised up.

[glock rocks]

hell, we've got a practice range the size of texas that we're about to open up. we don't need no steenkin vieques.

shut it down. screw em

[Sacajaweau]

It was decided in 2000, under Clinton, that we would no longer train there. In 2001, Hillary and a few more agitators went there. Sharpton went to jail and here we are with another Dem item in our lap.

Looks like the only thing Clinton completed (he did not have sex) was on the last day...when he passed out the pardons and disclosed his terms of guilt.

[thegreatbeast]

Serrano is a piece of work , huh? Another great American democrat.
Tough cookies, PR! No bada boom, no bada bing!

[dighton]

Thank you.

[flashbunny]

Stossel Bump

[texastoo]

Does Puerto Rico vote in our elections?

[Eva]

Puerto Rico wanted Vieques closed so that they could build big hotels and casinos which would provide jobs (at least that's what the developers told them). Now, that they got what they wanted they are shocked to find out that they will be losing as much or more than they gained. Too bad!

[Bodacious]

Kudos.........