I'm not a big fan of Independence Day/the Fourth of July, since I think people
have forgotten what it's about in lieu of picnics and cookouts and pyrotechnic
displays (often beautifully choreographed to Tchaikovsky’s 1812 Overture--depicting
Russia's triumph over Napoleon). But my recent embracement of a majority of
liberal ideas has put me in a new frame of mind concerning independence and the
fact that the US has colonies--fourteen "possessions" and
"commonwealths"--pretty bad for a nation that began with similar
roots.
I confess that I don't often think about those twelve possessions, and one of
the commonwealths (those numbers will change soon - Guam is in the process of
joining Northern Marianas & Puerto Rico as a commonwealth). Sadly, I don't
even think I could list them here. But there's one that's near and dear to my
heart and my bloodlines, and I need to sort through my thoughts about it.
As some of you know, my mother was born and raised on the island of Puerto
Rico. Technically she's only 1/2 Puerto Rican--my grandmother fell in love with
an American (French-Canadian, originally) and my mum and uncle came out of that
marriage. But mum was raised Puerto Rican. Ella es una Borinqueña.
Bloodlines are important, but culture is more important--especially in a
culture with Scotch, Irish, English, Taino, Spanish, and African bloodlines
merged. Anyway--this is my Puerto Rican history. My brother and sister and I
refer to ourselves as ""Quarter-Rican" jokingly, but we have
been raised with regard to our ancestry. We have heard the stories--good and
bad--about island life, and island politics, and all that. So while my opinion
is not as informed as someone born and raised in Lares or Utuado or Mayaguez, I
know a little about what I'm talking about.
Puerto Rican Independence is a popular movement among liberals, because
self-determination is a goal for many people in the world (and one I support
whole-heartedly). Since 1898 there have been movements in the US to give up the
island of Puerto Rico. I've read pamphlets about racism in America that advise
the average caucasian citizen to "go ahead and take your salsa lessons,
but give back to the community--donate to the Puerto Rican Independence
movement." My initial response to this was not good. And I'll say it
perfectly clear right here:
I promote Puerto Rican statehood.
There. I'm one of those evil people. But let me explain why. There are two
reasons I prefer statehood to independence--one is rational (imo), one is
biased. In an effort to seem rational and intelligent, I will *explain* my bias
with the acknowledgement that it is wrong to base my opinion on this, and I
will acknowledge that it's irrational.
My bias: (aka "Lisa's Family History Lesson"): When the mum
was in college (la Universidad de Puerto Rico--a lovely school!) she was a
member of the ROTC program. As the daughter of an American Airforce MP, she
embraced America and the military. One day, however, there was an anti-American
protest on campus--a non-violent protest that took place by the ROTC building,
since that was a symbol of American ties to Puerto Rico. However, some members
of the crowd had weapons. The ROTC students were told to evacuate the building,
and had to cross the parking lot in front of the protesters. (I'm not sure of
the schematics, exactly.) They grabbed random helmets (my mum's friend took the
battalion commander's hat, though he was not the commander) and fled.
They ran by the crowd, bullets whizzing past, and one person was killed: the
student who was wearing the battalion commander's helmet (it had a gold
insignia on the front). Coincidence? Probably not. Knowing this story has made
me wary of protest--something I've tried to grow out of. I'm in complete
support of non-violent protest if it remains non-violent. So this is my bias.
Part of me doesn't like the Independent Movement because my mother was a victim
of violence because she chose to embrace her roots and learn about the
military. Did this act of violence change her? Well, other than hardening her
to the Independistas, no. She quit school eventually and joined the army and
became a Cold War code-breaker in Germany. And she left Puerto Rico and didn't
go back for 20 years. </personal story>
My [more] rational approach: I believe the US should end Puerto Rico's
commonwealth status because I support self-determination and I abhor
colonialism. But is Independence the only way to do it? No--there's statehood.
Look at the facts:
--Over 80% of the population voted in the 1996 elections (not presidential--commonwealth
citizens do not vote for presidents and don't pay federal taxes). This is one
of the highest [voluntary] voter turnouts in the world. So it's easier to say
that the voting statistics represent the people's opinions than it is in the
US. And what have recent elections shown?
(Percentage of votes cast in last election)
Popular Democratic Party (PDP): 48.8% - supports commonwealth
New Progressive Party (NPP): 45.6% - supports statehood
Puerto Rican Independence Party (PIP): 5.3% - supports independence
Do Puerto Ricans support Independence? Well, they don't seem to support the
party. And in the 1998 Plebiscite Vote summary (71% turnout), the breakdown was
this:
Petition 1, "Territorial" Commonwealth, 993 (0.1%)
Petition 2, Free Association, 4,536 (0.3%)
Petition 3, Statehood, 728,157 (46.5%)
Petition 4, Independence, 39,838 (2.5%)
None of the above, 787,900 (50.3%)
and blank and void ballots, 4,846 (0.3%)
Simple majority is all it takes to create the State of Puerto Rico (if the US
government ratifies it) or the free nation of Puerto Rico (which the US has no
say in - it just maintains the right to take away the citizenship from all
Puerto Ricans born on PR soil without parents who were non-Puerto Rican US
citizens).
My mind says that statehood *is* self-determination, so long as the majority
votes for it. However, I'd prefer to see at least a 2/3 majority for this
turnout. But it's not my election, so I have no say in it.
Why do I like statehood? Good question. To be honest, I think it's simpler
than independence. Puerto Rican politics and economy have been tied to the US
since 1952 (and before), Puerto Ricans have had free trade and free borders
with the US--to the point that roughly 2 million Puerto Ricans live in mainland
USA, compared to the 3.8 million on the island. 89% of Puerto Rican exports are
shipped to the US. 65% of its imports come from the US. Cities like San Juan,
Fajardo, and Ponce thrive on tourism--primarily American tourism. I believe the
tourism would still exist in either statehood or independence, but it is much
easier without customs and passports and all that. ::shrug::
I also believe that Puerto Ricans are culturally as "American" as
they are "Hispanic." Then again, this is just my impression--and I
spent most of my time in coastal and/or urban regions of the island. The
mountainous regions (home of Lares, the Independista HQ town) tend to have
deeper Taino and Spanish roots. I personally think that there is a distinct
Puerto Rican culture--one that thrives in Philadelphia, Caguas, New York, San
Juan, Cleveland, Aguadilla, etc.--that is not "tainted" by
Americanism, nor is it devoid of American influence. It has been shaped by both
its roots and its economic and political ties.
My voice is just one in a sea of many. And the opposition has good reasons for
wanting their independence. I encourage anyone who wants to be active on this
issue to seek out information that is pro-statehood, pro-independence, and
pro-status quo before making up their minds. Each stance has a million good
reasons supporting it--I just happen to like the ones that support
statehood--mainly the fact that 97.2% (over 1.5 million citizens) of the Puerto
Ricans who are voting in plebiscite elections actively do not support
independence.
My last thought: End Colonialism. That's not what America stands for.
posted in my
livejournal July 4th 2003