Statehood of Puerto Rico: Where Do You Stand?

U.S. State or Independence?

This is a touchy subject for many people, whether they are Puerto Rican or not: the statehood of Puerto Rico. Do we become part of the United States of America? Or do we become completely independent, including renouncing the island’s status as a U.S. commonwealth? When the votes are placed, the end result is a close draw: most times, we see about 51% of the island’s voters remain on one side of the statehood/independent land fence, whereas about 49% stand firm on the other side. It is obvious that this is an issue for the Puerto Rican people. It raises a few questions, to say the least: If you were born in Puerto Rico prior to the island becoming independent, will you have to apply for citizenship in the USA if you’ve already been there for many years? Will you have to go back to Puerto Rico instead, whether you want to or not? Will legal immigration be a problem, just as it seems to be for other immigrants? How will Puerto Rico’s currency change, if the island becomes independent? If Puerto Rico becomes a state in the USA, will its’ people be able to vote for presidency if they live on the island? What about presidency for the island if it becomes independent? Will it be able to follow the Democrat/Republican parties? Would Puerto Rico turn to Communism, like other countries or will it potentially create its’ own political party for the public to follow and vote for? Many more questions, statements and comments tag along with the thought of Puerto Rico becoming part of the States or becoming its’ own independent land.

 Pros & Cons of Statehood and Independence

Pros (state): -Becoming part of the USA can help Puerto Rico with its’ economical structure via differing avenues, one being trade between nations that are in alliance with the U.S. –Being able to vote for a U.S. president. Currently, Puerto Rico cannot vote for a U.S. president. –Puerto Rico can finally have a voice in Congress. According to www.essortment.com, “…with at least seven represenatives and two senators. Currently, Puerto Rico only has a resident commissioner in their Congress. He has a voice, but no vote. Puerto Rico has no electoral votes in the Presidential elections . Becoming a State would remove Puerto Rico form under the Territorial “claws” of the U.S. Constitution, and would put Puerto Rico on the same political footing as the other 50 states. This is the single most compelling argument for Puerto Rican statehood that Puerto Ricans have.” Cons (state): -The cost of living will most likely rise due to Puerto Rico becoming a U.S. state. For a land to newly become a part of the States, this can potentially hurt the people and their pockets. Again, according to www.essortment.com, “…The average interest rate in Puerto Rico is only 5 to 6%, whereas the U.S. interest rate is somewhere between 8.5 to 12%. Currently a $40,000 house would cost about $253 a month, whereas with the U.S. rates it would cost around $411 a month.” –Puerto Rico would not be able to represent itself as an individual nation in the Olympics or hold their own Miss Universe representative. Puerto Rico has won the pageant three times thus far. Pros (independence): -The option to choose who Puerto Rico will or will not trade with individually and independently as its’ own country/land. This gives Puerto Rico the upper hand on importing and exporting agriculturally. –Having its’ own budget to work with and making its’ own currency/value. “…Puerto Rico would receive revenue from sources such as customs, parks, excise taxes, user-paid tolls, and service fees.” (www.essortment.com). Cons (independent): -Attempting to generate its’ own supply of money; this might not be such a “con” if tourism continues to flourish in the island. –Deciding what political party to follow or even if creating one of its’ own would suffice. Politics are hardly ever nice.

Where Do You Stand?

Being a Puerto Rican, whether from the island or born in America, this is a situation that will effect our people regardless. The question to you is: where do you stand in this continuous debate? Do you feel Puerto Rico should hold statehood in the United States of America? Or do you feel Puerto Rico should try to become independent as its’ own land? Please believe that, whatever YOUR decision and opinion is, it does NOT make you less of a Puerto Rican. There are many of our people who argue and debate this topic alongside each other; they form their own opinions on the matter and let it get in between each other. No matter what happens, be it that the island becomes the newest state to grace America or be it that the island fends for itself independently, Puerto Ricans are still Puerto Ricans. Do not allow that to change, mi gente.

OP-ED : You Scratch My Back and I’ll Scratch Yours

The famous idiom, “you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours” or you do a favor for me and I’ll do a favor for you can be used in so many different levels of any kind of profession. Maybe more commonly, but very unnoticed in Politics. In politics you have an obligation to your constituents because they are the ones who voted for you and will keep you there if you decide to run again, but running a campaign requires money and this money does not come from you or a single person, rather a collective group, but unfortunately your constituents can sometimes be the people that contribute the least amount of money to your campaign. When you have a person or a group with a wealthy background, you might want to get on his or her good side. This is where “You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours” comes in hand. When someone needs something and in return you get something out of it, this is what politics is all about. From the nation to the state to the local governments, everyone needs something done and there are many willing to give something in return.

According to many politicians, they don’t solicit services that aren’t beneficial to their people, but how can a politician know what someone needs if they don’t listen? Listening to your constituency is a major requirement to maintain a good relationship with “your people.” Once you listen to their problems and suggest a solution to it, these people soon become numbers and the more numbers you get the better it is for you when election time comes around. Sadly, the real numbers that count is dollars. Money is what gets things moving everywhere around the world, and it isn’t any different here in the U.S. If we take one example, there was a recent legislation regarding the LGBT community, their right to legal marriage. They got their well-deserved human right, but at a cost. According to financial documents released from the offices of four republican state senators, they each received $10,300 from Mayor Bloomberg, a strong advocate for gay marriage. Also, one republican senator, Mark Grisanti “who had initially opposed gay marriage, but later changed his mind, had pulled in $50,000 from gay marriage advocates after the vote.”[1] The transparencies amongst the nations legislators are demeaning, when you start looking for the truth and you find it, don’t say we didn’t warn you first.

If you need to make something happen, you’re going to need money. The money you get working for politics isn’t much, but the money you get working from politics can be a lot. An organization in your neighborhood will be willing to contribute to your campaign, if and only if you look out for their interests, hence “you scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours.” In a world where money rules everything, this makes politics, on any level, no different at all.

OP-ED : Is Protesting Really Successful?

Has it ever come across to this country that protesting (in an appropriate manner) is a freedom rightly granted to us by the constitution? Many other countries feel that this is the end to justify the means, therefore having no other alternative but to assemble and engage in whatever manner they deem appropriate according to the situation.
There have been numerous protests in the Arab world but more recently, there has been a wave of protesting in the western hemisphere and this can be attributed to the fact that they have issues and they want the issues to be resolved. It is the manner that the people of these countries use in order to express their free speech. Some have had peaceful protests or demonstrations, others not so much. Question is; is protesting really successful?

On July 11, 2011 there was a “Paro Nacional” or National Strike in Dominican Republic where the whole country decided to act and wanted to show the government how they felt about all of the politics and problems of the country. This turned out to be a peaceful demonstration where even authority figures joined the masses in playing “Domino” and ate “Sancocho.” This only happens rarely though, in South America, specifically Chile, there have been numerous student protests against government measures regarding education. These protests have gotten very violent resulting in many injuries and deaths. This has brought anti-sentiment towards President Piñero, which can ultimately result in having him step down.

Every country demands one thing or the other, some ask for a specific percent of their Gross Domestic Product (GDP) to be put towards education, some fight against tuition price hikes and some fight just because their team lost the Stanley Cup, (Sorry Canadians) but fact of the matter is that people are trying to get their message across so that the right people can make something happen. It’s not always the case that once you protest, something gets resolved. In essence, when a country demands changes it wants them, but the elected officials take their time.

A lot goes into planning a protest, just as you would to plan a birthday party, wedding, etc. Protesting is getting the word out, which is one highly important step that has to be taken in order to get attention to the matter. As it gains more attention, the elected officials have an obligation to either stop the protesting or meet their demands. If they decide to stop the protests by using military force, then it gets more aggressive where people end up getting hurt or killed and it would just become an unsuccessful protest. The key isn’t to fight the authority, but to show the authorities that the voters have the real power. If the elected officials decide to meet the demands of the people, then it is a successful protest.

The Sex Trade in DR: Allegedly Featuring Rush Limbaugh!

(Article Image Source:latinasinlove.com)

“Haiti? You can’t even pick up a prostitute down there without genuine fear of AIDS .”  (Source : ThinkProgress Article)That’s a pretty horrible thing to say, right? And doesn’t it kinda imply that the person who said it has had the experience to inform an observation like that? (Let’s not even get into the fact that sleeping with a hooker is pretty much HIV Russian roulette.)

Well Rush Limbaugh was never caught with prostitutes, but a couple years ago he did have a run-in with the DEA after his vacation in the Dominican Republic (Source : Fox News Article). Why? Well I never figured the guy to be un super-bellaco but apparently the conservative radio host likes to carry Viagra bottles with other people’s names on the prescription whenever he visits DR. Go figure. And since he’d never go for a Haitian hooker…

But enough about that guy. At worst he’s just another hypocritical client. Allegedly. The real issue here is DR’s sex trade. As far back as 1996, the International Organization for Migration estimated that over 50,000 Dominican women were working in the international sex trade (Trafficking in Women from the Dominican Republic for Sexual Exploitation” IOM, June 2006 Report). The IOM report states that many trafficked women were lured by foreigners with false promises of marriage only to find themselves abused, addicted to drugs, and hopelessly lost in the global sex market. Makes you think twice about shady looking sites like www.dominicandreamgirl.com, advertising girls looking for marriage with a preference for foreign men. In any case, they have been trafficked all over Europe, including Holy Roman Italy and those nice countries where almost everyone is one color, prostitution is legal, there’s universal healthcare, and the economy is always stable: Switzerland and The Netherlands. Dominican women have also been trafficked to South America, Central America and the rest of the West Indies. And wouldn’t you know it? They’re in Haiti too…

But let’s not Rush to any conclusions. Guys with lawyers never lie.

Anyway, back on topic, those stats are from before the internet really blew up like it has now. By 2001 UNICEF was reporting that 25,000 Dominican boys and girls under 18 were being exploited for sex by tourists (“Profiting from Abuse” UNICEF 2001). DominicanToday.com reminded us a couple of years ago about a group of Spaniards busted for running an internet child prostitution ring out of DR in 2006 (Dominican Today Article). Early last year they reported an American promoting a “Hot and erotic trip to paradise” on craigslist.com was arrested in the Dominican Republic and charged with two counts of third degree prostitution (Dominican Today Article).

Image Source :latinasinlove.com

Hmm. Now how would that be connected to the AIDS problem in the Dominican Republic?

There could be reason to hope though, especially for the minors, as the industry becomes more sophisticated in the DR. The website for the currently operating “adult” resort Oxygen Retreat (not owned by Dominicans), for instance, features a disclaimer stating that none of their girls are under 18. So at the very least it is becoming important to look the part. The question for the future of DR will be whether the government eventually chooses to adopt and enforce American laws prohibiting prostitution, Swiss laws on legal, regulated prostitution, or Swedish laws, which actually only punish the clients, and not pimps and hookers. And before you get too liberal about it and go with the Swiss option, which the country leans towards right now, check these facts JusticeWomen.com posted from a University of London study of different legalization programs in the Netherlands, Ireland, and Australia:

Legalization and/or regulation of prostitution, according to the study, led to:

• A dramatic increase in all facets of the sex industry,
• A dramatic increase in the involvement of organized crime in the sex industry,
• A dramatic increase in child prostitution,
• An explosion in the number of foreign women and girls trafficked into the region, and
• Indications of an increase in violence against women. (Justice Woman.Com Article)

So maybe playing by the rules of the countries that Dominican women have been trafficked to isn’t such a good idea? Interestingly enough, the Swedish option is the only one proven to be highly effective at reducing and nearly eliminating sex traffic. Sweden wasn’t mentioned in the IOM report, after all.

The idea of Americans and Europeans being arrested as pimps in DR and the king of conservative talk radio being a potential john does seem to complicate conservative Christian and racialized politics a bit. I mean after all, Rush Limbaugh just recently tried to stir up racial tension on his show by referring to “Tiger Woods’ choice of [White] females.” (Huffington Post Article)

This from the guy who “had a great time in the Dominican Republic [and wishes he] could tell you about it.” Yeah. That sucks that he can’t talk about how he might like to get down with the brown minors (allegedly). That would be a very interesting story.

First Latina to be nominated for Supreme Court Justice

Today marks a historic day for Latinos in this country. President Barack Obama has nominated Judge Sonia Sotomayor to serve as the Supreme Court Justice, if confirmed, she will be filling the vacancy left by retiring Justice David Souter. Judge Sotomayor would be the first Latina Supreme Court Justice and the third female to serve in the position.

Sonia Sotomayor comes from a humble background and has never forgotten where she came from. Her family originally from Puerto Rico, settled in the Bronx, New York during World War II. She grew up in the Housing Projects of the Bronx raised by her single mother after her father died while she was nine years old. Of her mother, Sotomayor has said that “she will never be half of the woman that her mother was”. Her mother worked 6 days a week in order to be able to send her children to Catholic school, Sotomayor gives her mother all the credit for where she is in life. Sotomayor attended Princeton University where she graduated Summa Cum Laude and Yale Law School. She has attained an exquisite education and has devoted her life to public service. She has worked in the District Attorney’s office in NY, and in 1991 was appointed by President George Bush Sr., to the Federal District Court and President Bill Clinton appointed her to the appeals court.

President Obama has said that Sotomayor is an “inspiring woman who I am sure will make a great justice”. Obama has said that he made his choice after deep and careful deliberation. He choose to nominate Sotomayor not only because of her personal story and experience but because he feels that she is someone who will be able to understand “how the world works, and how ordinary people live”. With her background, if confirmed ,Judge Sonia Sotomayor would add her countless years of experience to the bench, as well as diversity. If confirmed, many expect her to be a liberal voter on many issues.

Her nomination may draw criticism from many Republicans and conservatives. The critics of her nomination will point to many statements that she had made, and will point to the her nature as an activist judge. Opponents will argue that Sotomayor would favor disadvantaged groups. Some are saying that the GOP would be further damaged if they decide to stand up against the nomination of Sotomayor because it would hurt their image in front of a growing voting bloc of Latinos in this country. President Obama has said that he hopes to have Sotomayor to be confirmed before the Justices begin their new term in October.

The End of the Party

The shovels are out as many across the nation are saying that the party has come to an end. The Grand Old Party (G.O.P) that is, better known as the Republicans. After having lost the bid for the presidency, as well as control of Congress this past November, many are talking about what seems to be the near death of the Republican brand. Polls are suggesting that only about one-fourth of the electorate is currently registered as Republican. Big political figures such as Pennsylvanian Senator Arlen Specter who recently switched parties and became a Democrat as well as former Secretary of State Colin Powell who is being accused of leaving his party are clear-cut symptoms of the ailments afflicting the party. Setting aside the political and electoral gains that Senator Specter may have gained by switching sides, his move offers more insight as to why so many people are leaving the party. Olympia Snowe, Republican Senator from Maine was quoted as saying that the Republican Party is “excluding the young, minorities, environmentalist, pro-choice so – the list goes on”. This comment goes hand in hand with what many people are saying about the party becoming more conservative and what has drawn the criticisms from the likes of Colin Powell, who feel that the party needs to become more attractive to growing minority groups such as Latinos and Asians.

In determining the status of this party, we must admit that there is no doubt that the presidency of George W. Bush and the actions of his administration have significantly hurt the party. Our nation is currently facing an economic recession, an increase in the unemployment rate, the education of our children lags behind in areas such as math and science and we are still fighting two wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. This is simply a short list of the maladies facing the American people. The eight years of the Bush presidency were characterized by massive spending, tax cuts that benefitted the wealthy, and the denial of global warming. It is with no doubt that many analysts are predicting and proclaiming the end of the Republican party in American politics.

Although the party may not be looking pretty right now, not all is lost for the GOP. Just as change was brought forth to this country through the election of Barack Obama, it is possible that the GOP may just re-invent itself within the next few years. Although outspoken figures such as Rush Limbaugh, Sarah Palin, and Dick Cheney portray the far right of this party, they may not be their party’s leader forever. While they may not want to see the party move towards the center, most agree that something must be done. The party must begin to think anew and make itself more attractive to younger and more diverse electorates. In order for the party to re-invent itself, new leadership must emerge that isn’t associated with the failings of the Bush administration (Dick Cheney) or with the strictly conservative statements (Rush Limbaugh) that continue to alienate many. The GOP platform must begin to address many social, economical, and political issues that are popular among the electorate. The GOP must begin to listen to its fiercest critics in order to re-design itself to accommodate the changing times. And boy how are the times changing!

Ultimately, it may not be time for the shovels just yet. There is a possibility that although the party has gone sour, a change of music may be enough to sweeten the scene for the GOP once again. After all, we learn from our mistakes, and perhaps the threat of the GOP dying will spur it to life and much needed action and reform.

Why just settle for America when you can have America(s)

Ignoring Central, South America will prove detrimental

Brazil’s President Lula da Silva said, “The U.S. must look at Latin America in a greater context than that of drug trafficking and organized crime.” Since his inauguration as the leader of the free world, President Barack Obama has aggressively pursued a vast agenda that deals with an economic recession, a handicapped health care system and an on-going Middle East conflict.

However, Latin America awaits the approaching Fifth Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago as the perfect stage for the American president to unveil his true intentions.

CONTINUE READING HERE

Eva Rodriguez via Rebel Yell

Eva brings to light an approach that should have been thought AWHILE ago. The reason’s for it not being brought up were for non-moral reasons. The only way I believe the growing Latino population will be dealt with is through the following:

1. DIVIDE AND CONQUER : This is a very old tactic created by the Europeans. You divide a group whether it be economically, racially, or even both and have them turn on each other. This distracts the group or groups from the real root of the problem, which is the person or group that instigated the quarrel. This is something that you can witness in the “HOOD”.   Two individuals or crews are fueled and encouraged by the instigator to act irrationally in the heat of the moment when rational thinking is at it’s lowest. This is the same thing, but on a bigger scale. Africa, Latin America, and Slaves in the new world were subject to these tactics. The recent US Census surveys are indirectly applying this through the power of suggestion.
   1. 1. • Caucasian/White
         • African American/Black
         • Asian
         • Hispanic
           • Are you White Hispanic or Black Hispanic ?
   • Americans

2. Eradicate Social and Economic Injustice : This of course is a lot harder and takes a nation to work together to get rid of the old ways. This takes a lot more work, but in the end, this will be the best thing that ever happened to this country and better yet the world. This means,  most old tricks and tactics to Hoodwink would have to be made so hard to accomplish that people won’t even bother to attempt. This option takes a special kind of person to support. This type of person would need extreme insight, intelligence, and rational to realize that we all are human beings. These are the same type of people who participated in the nomination of President Obama …

Colin Powell Breaks His Silence Endorses Obama

Jay-Z staging free shows in support of Obama campaign

Beyonce & Jay-Z

Earlier this week Barack Obama talked to MTV about his admiration for hip-hop stars and their entrepreneurial endeavors. The senator has also made it known that he has a few Jay-Z tracks rattling around his iPod. Now Jay-Z has returned the favor, by staging two free concerts in Detroit and Miami in support of the Obama campaign.

The first show takes place at the Cobo Arena in Detroit on Saturday (October 4) and is designed to persuade Jay-Z fans to register to vote and get involved in the campaign. Free tickets for the show will be available from the Obama campaign offices in southeast Michigan, which are listed here.

The Miami show, which is also free, takes place on Sunday (October 5) at Bayfront Park, just one day before voter registration closes. Like the Detroit concert, tickets will only be available from Obama’s campaign offices in the region, listed here.

via Prefix,HIPHOPUPDATE

Rage Against the Machine RNC - 09.02.08 (Performs Acapella in Crowd)

via CrooksandLiars

For those of you who don’t know the lead singer for Rage Against the Machine

Zack de la Rocha

Zack de la Rocha is Chicano.

Heas a clip of them in Mexico CIty. They got some hot music. Check Em Out.