The reason everything is done very slowly goes back to colonialism. The Puerto Ricans have never had the right to vote. And there's all kinds of fun little paperwork reasons this is excused—just like there was for India not to have Members of Parliament, France to not allow Algeria to have a say in the creation of the Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth republics; and so on and so forth. There's always a reason presented that basically comes down to "law and order."
I often criticize the Democratic Party for being pussies and use Puerto Rico as an example. It could deliver two safely Democratic senators (and if they did the same with DC, they'd have a perfectly even senate even now after taking an electoral walloping).
But it's a double-edged criticism as it also, I think, clearly demonstrates that the Democrats are still ultimately a racist, institutionalist, and imperialist party. Having a majority Latino (or black) state would be too scary to allow to happen.
TIG, people need to be realistic. If one has a colony and they don't get extremely difficult and challenge you and put some fire under your feet? There is no incentive to 'change'. Unfortunately back in Puerto Rican history in the 1950's the USA started with imperial repressions that were ill advised. They said we could not fly the Puerto Rican flag in Puerto Rico and insisted on all classes taught in public schools be conducted in English only, etc. A bunch of things that did not work for us. So? In the end all the peaceful petitions to not do these things got nowhere. How did the congress change? Suddenly Lolita Lerbron, Luis Cancel Miranda, etc had to go in there and get violent with bullets. Those nationalists got violent with the USA. Suddenly the flag was allowed.
Pedro Albizu Campos the nationalist once famously said in Spanish, " The ears of the Yankees are opened with bullets." If peaceful means are ignored? What is the alternative for desperate people? I would hope with time and circumstance that people learn to respond to other people's needs with some intelligence and some sense of empathy and fairness and not allow it to be violent.
I don't want Puerto Rico to become a state. Or to be a colony. I think the sensible thing is for us to be an independent nation. And have ties to many other nations in an international community of nations that are interdependent and workers are respected and put first in planning for government goals. All this colonial stuff rarely comes out well. It never does in fact.
good idea.
- By Fasces
- By Rich
- By Unthinking Majority