On May 19, Puerto Rico’s Resident Commissioner to the U.S. House introduced HR2499, which would require a vote on the future political status of Puerto Rico. The bill already has 113 co-sponsors.
The bill’s sponsor, Pedro Pierluisi, was elected to his first term in 2008 as the nominee of the New Progressive Party. That party is the pro-statehood party, and Pierluisi has been working for statehood for Puerto Rico ever since he was in college. The provisions of HR2499 seemed designed to bolster the chances for statehood. The voters would be not only adult residents of Puerto Rico, but any U.S. citizen who was born in Puerto Rico. Those voters who would be eligible to vote, but who do not now live in Puerto Rico, could receive an absentee ballot.
The bill asks voters to choose between two choices: (1) Puerto Rico should continue to have its present form of political status; (2) Puerto Rico should have a different political status.
If choice (2) receives a majority, then there would be a second vote a few months later, with three choices: (1) Independence; (2) Sovereignty in association with the U.S., in which the two would form a political association between two sovereign nations in which Puerto Rico would not be subject to the territorial clause of the U.S. Constitution; (3) Statehood.
HR2499 is opposed by Congresswoman Nydia Velazquez (D-New York), who is chair of the congressional Hispanic Caucus. To read the bill, go to http://thomas.loc.gov and choose HR2499.
Like DC, is state hood REALLY the best answer for PR, Guam, other territorial out posts? Wouldn’t the global, imperial, fascist American Empire still be a global, imperial, fascist empire?
——— Donald Raymond Lake
Even more gerrymander U.S.A. Reps IF Puerto Rico becomes a State ???
How many more folks would try to become ILLEGAL immigrants in Puerto Rico IF it became a State ???
See the independent Phillipines Islands regime (1946) – an ex-U.S.A. colony.
Uniform definition of U.S.A. Elector.
P.R. and A.V. to end the territory / possession / colony stuff.
No problem for Puerto Rico to declare itself sovereign from the country by a vote, but not possible for a State in the 50 to do so?
Sounds like a dichotomy to me!
STATEHOOD FOR PUERTO RICO NOW!!!!
elpincho: [Statehood] why ????????
—- Donald Raymond Lake
As the old saying goes.. it takes a village…, but in the case of Puerto Rico, it’ll take a miracle (assuming such thing exists). P.Ricans did it when they were Spanish subjects and still doing it under the USA empire; cowardice, afraid to make difficult choices, to go it alone even when the master is sick of you.
This “referendum” ought to also include a fourth choice, slavery. I bet P.Ricans would rather choose that, than to go it alone in the world.
That is the mindset of a people who have been willingly programmed to accept themselves as being genetically, ethnically, historically, culturally, linguistically, and intellectually inferior to their master.
Lets leave Puerto Rico the way it is now a Free State associated with the United States the way it’s been for many years…..
Pedro: so the Puerto Ricans are so inferior that nifty folks like you need [like Lenin, Mao, Pol Pot, Hitler, Tojo, Putin] to show them the way?
“Trouble in a democracy? The solution? More democracy! “—– Al Smith, Chicago pol, 1928 Democratic Party presidential candidate, Empire State Building front man
Please can we stop with the references on this board to Hitler, Stalin, etc., especially as it pertains to PR (proportional representation or Puerto Rico, take your pick). It trivializes and cheapens the memory of their victims to invoke their names on every silly or even serious matter.
The United States should not have colonies. All US territories should either become states or become independent nations.
Jerry Baker: Deeds verses mind set; I mean all these folks thought they knew more, much more, than the average Joe.
Why have a colony? Its labor force is cheaper, unenforceable environmental laws, rule with a fist, lack of basic rights (second class), etc. Same reason why the USA will never admit another state to the union, is cheaper to impose your will without binding obligations.
Free Associated State? If it is treated like a colony and it behaves like a colony, it must be a colony.
Funny how those incapable of providing valid arguments quickly resort to name callings.
Democracy? Please see how many times that word appears in the USA constitution?
International law is very clear about the process by which occupied territories must adhere to in order to achieve self determination. That is a real democratic process.
Pedro Animala: Why indeed! I sure goes against the official rhetoric. And the ‘excuse’ of converting the pagan locals? Both Hawaii [1883] and the Philippines [1898] were the only official Christian cultures in the Pacific Basin……
—– Donald Raymond Lake
P. Ricans are no different than the millions of illegal immigrants that come to the US every year; although, we don’t have the necessity to migrate from the island for economic reasons. None of us leave behind our loved ones or our possessions because we feel that our race is inferior to that of North Americans, let alone cowardice. It really has nothing to do with feeling inferior to anyone, or being incapable of facing the challenges to go alone. It has more to do with our leaders being incapable of governing our Countries, and the powerlessness that every day people, including self, experience when dealing with corrupt politicians, whether you come from a Sovereign Nation or a colony. And that my friend affects every Contry in the Western Hemisphere, including that where your parents came from.
We P.Ricans are in no way inferior to anyone, and that has been proven in many ways of life. Puerto Rico is the birthplace of numerous world leaders in the fields of politics (US Senator Jose Serrano), sciences (Dr. Novello), sports (Roberto Clemente), entertainment, banking, government (US Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor {P.Rican ancestry}), economy, technology, among others; most of whom received their education in the island, now with residence in the United States and numerous countries throughout the world.
However, I do agree with you that the powers to be have willingly attempted time after time to influence and sway our idiosyncrasy to that of a substandard class/person. But keep in mind that after more than a hundred years of foreign pressure to adopt the english language, it has not happened yet. In fact in 1991, Governor Hernandez Colon received an award from the Government of Spain for making “Spanish” the only official language of the island.
Also, and this is to be informative rather than argumentative, there was a large group of subversive “criollos” who revolted against the Spanish Government in 1868 during “El Grito de Lares”, declaring the Republic of Puerto Rico for the first time in 400 years. This was followed by more concessions from the Spanish Government and greater political autonomy. Of course independence from Spain never materialized due to the Hispanic-American War and the occupation from the US that ensued. However, nationalism didn’t perish. For fifty years the fight to become independent never ceased to exist. A second uprising was trounced emphatically by applying “La ley de la Mordaza” the law of the muzzle in 1948, which prohibited and criminalized all acts which favored Puerto Rican Independence.
Pedro, my people have suffered enough already. Not two persons are alike and a shrewd individual like yourself would know that. So, please abstain from generalizing, and while some of your points are dead accurate (slavery, colony, programmation), others simply lack facts, allude more to inaccurate information or simply reflect a mere opinion from an outsider.
A people who call for a national strike that only lasts a few hours, so as not to interrupt with their evening novela (tv soap) can’t be taken serious. And who knows that better than the mafia that rules the island? I read about peasants movements throughout the world taking to the streets, and at times succeed in forcing their “leaders” to flee, as it happened in Bolivia and Ecuador.
Take the courage of the Palestinians, the East Timorese, the former Warsaw Pact, they all, for good or worse, took matters into their own hands and forced the fleeing of their oligarch. So why is it that a people being suppressed for 500 years can sit around waiting for some miracle to happen. A change will never come unless a people demand it. And I don’t mean demanding at a political hearing composed of a few dirty politicians whom accept the superiority of their master, you demand it with action, general strikes, social movements, ending the political mafia control of government, disregarding dictates of the empire, seeking recognition and support by other countries, etc.
As the old adage goes, if voting meant anything, it would have been made illegal a long time ago.
Achieve what you want by taking action, not my waiting for it to be handed to you.
That a P.Rican descendant has achieved a certain status withing the USA, doesn’t make them “world” leaders, but rather accomplices of the occupation. I doubt any of them would give up their “status” in exchange for joining a just, yet arduous, cause.
Yes, there have been many who have given their life for the cause, but as you know, none of them are are venerated today, except by those who have self educated themselves; as the island school system has purged their story from its curriculum.
Die in battle and you shall be a martyr, live to a complacent old age, and no one will remember you.
Liberate your mind, and you shall be free; grab your machete and I shall join you.
#3. The United State under the Articles of Confederation was a perpetual union. The Constitution made it a more perfect union. Therefore any State that joins the union becomes a member for perpetuity.
Pedro, theres a rite way and a wrong way to get your point across. If you have to resort to anarchy before intellect then you already lost. Let’s take a step back and look at the big picture. We need to work together in the modern global economy world that we live (NAFTA-WTO). Synergy a situation where different entities cooperate advantageously for a final outcome. Simply defined, it means that the whole is greater than the sum of the individual parts. It would be mutually advantageous for the full union of America and Puerto Rico. In less than 20 years when countries go to war for oil the U.S. will have a strategic stronghold in the Caribean ready to pounce on Venezeula’s oil reserves and to guard other interest in the region. There is a socialist resurgence in south america we are strategically placed. South Atlantic Naval Fleet Puerto Rico ready to strike at a moments notice. Mutually advantageous, this goes without saying for anyone willing to look at the big picture.