Free Republic

Those who protested the Navy exercises on Vieques "want bombs to stop falling from the sky, but they want money to keep falling" to Puerto Rico. That more or less was the gist of a critical report, aired Friday night over ABC to millions of stateside viewers, of efforts to keep Roosevelt Roads Naval Station open after the Navy ends exercises on Vieques on May 1. The report, featured on the 20/20 news show by commentator John Stossel, suggested that keeping Roosevelt Roads open after the Navy leaves Vieques was "a waste of taxpayer money." Stossel, who usually hosts a...

Gov. Calderon said Thursday that she has "temporarily" postponed moving forward on the status issue because of a lack of consensus between the island's three political parties and the U.S. war with Iraq. "I have temporarily postponed this subject, in light of, first, that a consensus was not achieved with current leadership, and, secondly, because of the war and other situations compelling the U.S. Congress, which at this time would make an approach by one or two [political] parties unproductive," Calderon said. "I understand that until the people of Puerto Rico go before the U.S. Executive and U.S. Congress in...

Popular Democratic Party Sen. Juan Cancel Alegria said Friday Navy Adm. Robert J. Natter's decision to close the Atlantic Fleet Weapons Training Facility at Naval Station Roosevelt Roads is illegal, citing the National Defense Authorization Act of 2001. He also called on U.S. government officials to investigate the legality of the matter. "Section 1504 of the Act is clear to the effect that the termination of training and related closures are specifically and exclusively limited to Vieques Naval Training Range. No authorization was granted to affect the rest of the AFWTF," Cancel Alegria said in a letter to several U.S....