Friday, July 25, 2008

Puerto Rico

I wonder how some places escape a particular pop cultural association? Puerto Rico, for instance, is linked in my mind to West Side Story. Which is not to say that’s all I think of, but it’s like people mentioning Steve Irwin when I say I’m Australian. Not that I mind that—he was a top bloke—but it must be frustrating. Of course this year’s primaries in the endless American election gave us another spotlight on Puerto Rico, and Hillary’s support-base there. So, it’s a Caribbean island, to the east of the Dominican Republic, and it’s an unincorporated territory of the United States.

Not a lot is know about the period before Columbus sailed into the New World. First there were Ortoiroid people—apparently they were fishermen. Yum. Fish. Early in the common era the Igneri arrived from the Orinoco area of South America. Later the Taíno culture developed. And then 1492 brought our old chum Chris.

Not long after Europe’s discovery of the island, Spain colonised it. Taínos were enslaved, and their population was severely reduced when both their extreme working conditions and disease brought death. Still, it didn’t take long for a Taíno revolt—in 1511 they drowned the Spanish soldier Diego Salcedo. Oh! They drowned him in order to find out if the Spanish were immortal. It’s so interesting that different ethnic groups meeting for the first time might assign supernatural abilities to another. They watched his drowned bodies for three days just to make sure he was really dead. Unfortunately for the Taínos, their revolt didn’t earn them freedom—it was quickly put down by Ponce de León. With the Taínos dying rapidly, they were replaced in the form of African slaves. Spain kept tight control on the island, as it remained an important port for the Spanish Empire.

It was during the Spanish-American war that the United States invaded Puerto Rico—when this war ended, Spain ceded Puerto Rico, Cuba, Guam and the Philippines to the US. 25 July was the date of the arrival of US troops in 1898, and on that day in 1952 Governor Muñoz Marín proclaimed the local constitution. Obviously, as we saw in the primary, the relationship between Puerto Rico and the US is still under debate.

Today’s poem is by Judith Ortiz Cofer—it comes from The Oxford Book of Caribbean Verse. As well as writing poetry, she has also written short stories, essays, young adult novels and autobiography. I’ve chosen her poem “Under the Knife” for this project.


Under the Knife

My aunt wipes blood from her knife
across a kitchen towel, spilling
the thick contents of a just decapitated
hen into the sink.
I feel slightly nauseated but must
forbear for her sake. Childless
family martyr, renowned for her patience
with human frailty, and her cooking.
Her man drinks, she has failed three times
at childbearing. She squeezes the last
of the blood from the neck and a blue button
falls into her hand. Rinsing it, she drops it
into her apron pocket. And as she places the
pale carcass and the knife before me, she explains
how to cut the pieces with even, forceful
strokes: no hacking. She is under
no obligation to be kind.
The mothers and the daughters
have given her a lifetime license to mourn,
and like a queen in exile she acknowledges
nothing as a privilege. The pale fingers
of my aunt work with precision over
the pink flesh, showing me just how
to separate the tough from the tender.

—Judith Ortiz Cofer
from The Oxford Book of Caribbean Verse

7 comments:

RONBOTHUNTER said...

WHEN THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT OPPOSES YOUR RIGHT TO BE FREE!!

Puerto Ricans, who desire to be free, must always know that the federal government, here in the States has no “subject matter jurisdiction” over the person, case or location and should be challenged to proof it.

You won’t be told this in court but: All jury members, judges, attorneys, and employees working in federal court, must reside in federal territory to legally be a federal juror or touch your case or they can be commercially sued, disbarred and financially ruined for violating your constitutional rights etc.

Your god given right to be free is not wanted by the USA, it will oppose your desire for independence and freedom.

The USA has been the biggest alien invaders the world has ever known. In order to win your freedom you must oppose them by knowing that their weakness lies in the Constitution and the common law and common law remedies.

To win --You must always reserve your constitutional, commercial rights and know what they are.

The majority of Anglos have no idea that the USA has killed more Latinos, than Hitler Killed Jews, The USA has supported traitors, Gringitos, Butchers, Sociopaths, and Megalomaniacs who were supported and kept in power by sucking up to the Anglo Alien Invaders.

Latin America has had enough of this form of genocide of Latinos. That includes other African, Asian etc. countries that lost millions of innocent people from USA aggression.

I want to vomit every time some ignorant fools says: “If you don’t like it here –go home”.

If the Alien Invaders would get out of each and every Latin Country and stop interfering in our affairs—it would make sense to say such a stupid thing. But unless the Snakes get out of Latin America-we have just as much right to be here!!! So, grin and put up with it—this was once our land.

A Puerto Rican without a desire for independence and/or freedom from alien control has no soul of a man.

The fact that the public does not know that we are NOT free, makes no difference, to the desire to be free. The PR that wants Statehood is a Gringito, who has no soul of a man left in his traitor's heart. Freedom is happening all over the world and yet we allow Gringitos to kill our right to be free.

A Gringito is a non-Anglo thing/person who internally is so inferior, that he desires to be what he can not be—thus Gringito means little gringo.

We allow the Alien Invaders to kill, harm, abuse, rape, and scam us and yet the Gringito wants to give our Country away.

This abuse must end. No man or woman is a real Man or real woman who is too scared to fight for their souls and be free. If you listen to the Gringito, you will lose your soul.

Thru out eternity Humanity owes its freedom from slavery, ONLY to brave souls who fought for your right to be free.

The fight will NOT succeed if you don't fight the Gringito enemy at home first. He is there next door and claims he is a real man and tries to give you many excuses of why PR can't be a free Country.

The fight for the independence of Puerto Rico is now non-violent and will be won in the hearts of real men around the World.

The Ronbothunter,

A proud freedom loving Puerto Rican.

All Rights Reserved

José M. López Sierra said...

Dear Partner,

After the approval of the 33rd United Nations’ resolution by consensus on June 23, 2014 asking the United States (US) to immediately decolonize of Puerto Rico, we should work together to force the United States government to comply with it.

The facts that the United States government has maintained Puerto Rico as its colony for 116 years, has had Oscar López Rivera in prison for 33 years for fighting for Puerto Rico decolonization, and has ignored 33 UN resolutions to decolonize Puerto Rico, confirm that the US government has no intentions of ever decolonizing Puerto Rico. Therefore, we need to form a tsunami of people to force the US to comply with the 33 resolutions.

We should peacefully protest at least 3 times a year until we achieve our goal. The first one will be a march up to the US Courthouse in Puerto Rico on the Abolition of Slavery Day on March 22. The second will be another march in Puerto Rico on a day before the UN’s Puerto Rico decolonization hearing. The third one will be a protest in New York City on the same day the UN holds its Puerto Rico decolonization hearing.

These 3 protests are indispensable, because those who have colonies don’t believe in justice for all.

Sincerely,
José M López Sierra
Jlop28vislophis@gmail.com
Comité Timón del Pueblo
United Partners for the Decolonization of Puerto Rico
www.TodosUnidosDescolonizarPR.blogspot.com

José M. López Sierra said...

Dear Partner,

Since the United Nations determined in 1960 that colonialism is a crime against humanity, there is no longer a need for plebiscites. The solution is to give Puerto Rico her sovereignty.

But being the United States government does not want to, it continues to advocate the use of plebiscites to find out what Puerto Ricans want. Even if 100% of Puerto Ricans would want to continue being a US colony, Puerto Rico would still be obligated to accept her sovereignty to then decide what she wants to do.

The only thing these plebiscites are good for is to divide Puerto Ricans. A Puerto Rican didn’t invade us to make us a colony. When will we understand that we need to unite?

This is why we must peacefully protest at least 3 times a year until Puerto Rico is decolonized!

José M López Sierra
www.TodosUnidosDescolonizarPR.blogspot.com

José M. López Sierra said...

Why does Puerto Rico have a higher voter turnout than USA?

Puerto Ricans have a voter turnout of about 80%. The United States (US) citizens have a voter turnout of about 50%. What accounts for this 30 % disparity? Could it be that Puerto Rican believe in democracy more than US mainland citizens?

Puerto Rico is a colony of the United States since 1898. Since that time, Puerto Ricans who have wanted to decolonize their country have been either assassinated or imprisoned. Many Puerto Ricans are terrified of independence for Puerto Rico as a result of 116 years of repression.

Since colonialism is always for exploitation, there are no opportunities in Puerto Rico for Puerto Ricans. That is why there are now more Puerto Ricans out, than in Puerto Rico. Therefore, Puerto Ricans are desperate to find a political solution to our eternal colonialism!

Most Puerto Ricans believe that decolonization can be achieved through the electoral process. But the electoral process is ultimately under the control of the government of the United States. Since the US government has ignored 33 United Nations resolutions asking it to immediately decolonize Puerto Rico, and it has maintained incarcerated Puerto Rico political prisoner Oscar López Rivera for 33 years despite worldwide support to free him, there should be no doubt that the US government will never allow decolonization via the electoral process. If it were possible to do it that way, we would not have it!

The better way to decolonize is for that 80% of the Puerto Rico voter turnout to instead protest in the streets to demand our inalienable right to self-determination and independence, and insist that the UN do the decolonization in conformity to international law. After all, colonialism is within the jurisdiction of international law and never under national law. That is why it is a crime against humanity to have a colony under international law, but not so under US law.

José M López Sierra
www.TodosUnidosDescolonizarPR.blogspot.com

José M. López Sierra said...

Should criminals be in charge of correcting the wrong they inflicted?

Puerto Ricans vote in elections every 4 years at an 80% level of participation. Puerto Rico has been a colony of the United States (US) government for the past 116 years. If the US government has the final say in what happens in Puerto Rico, what is the purpose of these elections? The purpose is to fool the world that Puerto Rico is a democracy.

The United Nations (UN) declared colonialism a crime against humanity in 1960. The UN has asked the US government 33 times to decolonize Puerto Rico immediately. The US government has refused. It says that Puerto Rico’s political relationship with the United States is none of the UN’s business. The US says that it is a domestic affair.

To appear that the US government wants to decolonize Puerto Rico, it promotes the use of plebiscites to determine what Puerto Ricans want. Doesn’t that sounds innocent and democratic? So what’s the problem?

To begin with, the international community already rendered its verdict and determined that colonialism is illegal. So to have a political status option in a plebiscite that favors maintaining Puerto Rico a colony of the United States is not permitted. To have a political status option of Puerto Rico becoming a state of the United States is also not permitted under international law. The problem goes back to the beginning of this article. In order to have free elections, the country must be free. So before these elections and plebiscite could be valid, Puerto Rico would have to first be an independent nation.

What people must realize is that Puerto Rico is a colony of the US because the US government wants it that way. That is why it has used terrorism to keep it that way. That is why it refuses to release the Puerto Rican political prisoner of 33 years Oscar López Rivera. That is also why it is ridiculous to believe that decolonization is a US internal matter in which the UN has no jurisdiction over. If we allow the US government to decolonize Puerto Rico, she will remain a colony of the United States forever!

José M López Sierra
www.TodosUnidosDescolonizarPR.blogspot.com

José M. López Sierra said...

Best 2015 UN Hearing Coverage about Puerto Rico

The alternative news media, InformaciónAlDesnudo.com, will have the best coverage of the United Nations’ (UN) hearing about Puerto Rico’s 117 years of colonial relationship with the United States (US). This year’s hearing will be on Monday, June 22, 2015.

For 3 consecutive Saturdays (June 6, 13 and 20), InformaciónAlDesnudo.com will be giving its listeners the most comprehensive coverage in order to provoke the widest involvement of the people interested in this subject. We hope to encourage them to continuously work together, so that our decolonization could occur sooner rather than later.

The total delegation from Puerto Rico petitioning the UN’s Decolonization Committee will participate on the Saturday, June 20, 2015 program from 7 to 9 PM. These petitioners will share with our InformaciónAlDesnudo.com listeners what they will tell the Committee of 24. Our listeners will also have the opportunity to speak to our panelists to better understand what they hope to gain from their petitions at the UN.

The spokesperson for United Partners for the Decolonization of Puerto Rico, José M. López Sierra, is part of the team for these 3 special programs. In addition to the petition that he will make to the UN, he is part of the committee that organized the 2nd Oscar – Mandela March in NYC. José is also a correspondent in Puerto Rico for InformaciónAlDesnudo.com.

The 2nd Oscar – Mandela March in NYC will be on the same day as the UN’s hearing about Puerto Rico. We will march at 9 AM from Hunter College on 68th Street and Lexington Avenue to the Ralph Bunche Park across the Avenue from the UN.

Help us spread the word about the media coverage, and our peaceful march to force the US government to comply with the 33 UN resolutions to immediately decolonize Puerto Rico.

The UN determined that colonialism is a crime against humanity in 1960 for being a threat world peace. Therefore, UN is convinced that there could be no peace without justice. The US government knows that too, but it is much more interested in its overwhelmingly exaggerated profits around the world. That’s why we must continue to peacefully protest as long as necessary, because those who maintain colonies, don’t believe in justice for all!

Those who demand exaggerated profits around the world, don’t believe in justice for all!

Jose M Lopez Sierra
www.TodosUnidosDescolonizarPR.blogspot.com
787-429-1981

José M. López Sierra said...

Could PR be decolonized through elections?
Impossible. Why?
The 1% makes the laws of the United States (US) government for the 99%. And that 1%, of course, is above the law. This is why the 1 % wants Puerto Rico to pay the cost of her colonial relationship with the United States in what many are calling the “Puerto Rico’s debt”. The 1 % never wants to lose!
Noam Chomsky says on page 146 of his book PROFIT OVER PEOPLE that over 2 hundred years ago in the leading democracy of his day, Oliver Goldsmith observed that “laws grind the poor, and the rich men make the law”. “He who makes the law makes the trap” is a popular Puerto Rican saying. Pedro Albizu Campos said that if Puerto Rico’s independence were possible through elections, the US government would abolish them. Trying to decolonize Puerto Rico via elections would be like trying to win in a casino that is rigged, so that the players will always lose. So why do 80% of Puerto Ricans vote in the colonial elections in Puerto Rico?
The US government has brainwashed our minds. History is always written by the winner. The US government has had 117 years to mold Puerto Ricans to serve its interest. The 1 % knows that it could stay in power forever, if it could control our minds. If the 99% ever knew the truth, it could use its numerical power to stop the 1%, despite its enormous wealth and power. How have we been brainwashed?
It has been achieved through the Puerto Rico education system, the imposition of US citizenship against our will, state terrorism like the Rio Piedras, Utuado, and Ponce Massacres, the assassinations like in the Cerro Maravilla and the Machetero leader Filiberto Ojeda Ríos.
Most Puerto Ricans believe that it is their duty to vote, and if they don’t vote, than they shouldn’t complain later. Many believe that Puerto Rico is a democracy, although they know that Washington has the final word on what happens here. So how do we decolonize ourselves?
We know that the United Nations (UN) will not do it. It is controlled by the US government. How do we know that?
The UN has thus far issued 34 resolutions asking the US government to immediately decolonize Puerto Rico, and it has ignored them all! The morning session’s video, of the last Puerto Rico decolonization hearing where the Chairperson said that he felt disrespected when the UN at the last minute decided not to broadcast live the hearing after telling him it would, has never been available for public viewing on its WEBCAST as it is normally done. The resolution of this year’s hearing has never been published on the UN website as it usually does. Obviously, the US government wants to hide to the world its colonial relationship with Puerto Rico!
We know that it will take a long time to reverse 117 years of brainwashing. But, as more and more Puerto Ricans become convinced that we are destined to be its colony forever, more and more Puerto Rican could choose to stop voting in the colonial elections. This way we can say to the world that we are not the democracy that the US government wants it to believe!
Instead, we should protest permanently and peacefully. Once we get the tsunami of people necessary, and demand once again our inalienable right to self-determination and independence, the US government, like in Vieques, will have no other choice, but to comply with the 34 UN resolutions.
Once we become our own nation, we must permanently stay vigilant, because the US government will try to install, as it has done so many times before in many parts of the world, a puppet government to continue exploiting us. We must do so, because those who govern only for the 1%, definitely don’t believe in JUSTICE FOR ALL! www.TodosUnidosDescolonizarPR.bogspot.com