SANTURCE, Puerto Rico - Puerto Rico became a commonwealth of the United States after it was captured at the end of the Spanish American War in 1898.
Yeah, ginned up by the "Remember the Maine" bit that was just a boiler blowing up, not Spanish sabotage. Yes, readers, the lies reach very deeply back through time.
At times it has had a tortured relationship with the United States, an issue that remains the primary driver of its politics. The island remains fiercely patriotic, sending a disproportionately high number of men and women to serve in the US armed forces, including thousands who have died in wars stretching from World War I to Iraq and Afghanistan. But those soldiers cannot vote for their commander-in-chief, unlike the 4 million Puerto Ricans who live on the mainland. Those living on the island and on the mainland are US citizens.
If the island were a state it would be the poorest in the nation. The availability and quality of medical care and education lags behind the mainland. And its infrastructure needs are often an afterthought because its nonvoting delegate to Congress wields little political clout. Polls show that a slim majority of Puerto Ricans favor statehood, followed by those who support the status quo. A small portion wants Puerto Rico to be an independent nation.
I'm kind of always for that. Let the locals decide, the smaller the better. Centralization sucks.
Sotomayor has been silent in recent years on the issue of Puerto Rico’s status. When she was a student at Princeton University, she supported outright independence - still considered a fringe position. Later, she argued at Yale Law School that statehood was “inevitable’’ and that Puerto Rico should be granted exclusive rights to offshore oil and minerals, something no state has....
Already defying the Constitution, 'eh?
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Pending legislation, the Puerto Rico Democracy Act of 2009, would establish a process to allow Puerto Rico to decide its status, ultimately resulting in a referendum sanctioned by Congress.
Some legal experts, however, believe that only the Supreme Court could resolve Puerto Rico’s status. Juan Torruela, a federal appeals court judge, has argued that Supreme Court decisions in the early 20th century first helped define the territorial status of Puerto Rico. And three years ago a lawsuit filed in federal court over a law barring Puerto Ricans from voting for president was referred to the Supreme Court, which declined to hear the case.
At a minimum, Sotomayor’s presence at the top of one of the nation’s three branches of government is a needed reminder that Puerto Rico’s unresolved political status remains a stain on American democracy, according to Charles R. Venator Santiago, a professor at the Institute of Puerto Rican and Latino Studies at the University of Connecticut.
We have a lot of stains, mostly blood stains from all the mass murder in the name of empire, continuing....
“I find it ironic that the Obama administration nominated a Puerto Rican judge who identifies with Puerto Rico, a place that is legally subject to discriminatory law,’’ he said. “Judge Sotomayor represents a citizenry that is partially excluded from the political process.’’
--more--"Of course, that is not my problem (that is the Puerto Ricans problem); my problem is THIS:
"Puerto Rico a crossroads in drug trade" by Associated Press | September 21, 2009
SAN JUAN - Drug traffickers have flooded Puerto Rico with drug money and made it one of the most violent places under the American flag, US prosecutors said.
Related: U.S. Government Brings Drug War to U.S. Cities
The arrest this month of San Juan airport worker Wilfredo Rodriguez on smuggling charges highlighted the challenges law enforcement authorities face in the US Caribbean territory.
Prosecutors said Rodriguez, who wrapped cargo in plastic as a part-timer worker for American Airlines, built a fortune over the last decade by smuggling drugs aboard commercial flights. He bought a mansion in the hills outside San Juan and four luxury cars. While most of the drugs reaching the United States arrive through the southwest border, an estimated 30 percent come through the Caribbean - and of all the islands, authorities say, Puerto Rico is easily the biggest transshipment point. As American soil, it is attractive because drugs leaving here do not have to clear customs to reach the US market.
(I'm going to resist commenting, but it does explain certain facets from back in the day)
At least 1,430 metric tons of cocaine reached the island last year, according to the Key West, Fla.-based Joint Interagency Task Force South, which coordinates the tracking of drug shipments in the region. The drugs are often spirited ashore Puerto Rico’s 300-mile coastline in boats from neighboring islands. Rodriguez is in federal custody on charges that he recruited other American Airlines employees to an operation that smuggled more than 19,840 pounds of cocaine to cities on the East Coast. His lawyer says he is innocent of all charges.
I never liked that stuff. Tried it a few times, never understood the appeal.
Paranoia and impotency, what a great mix.
--more--"
