Puerto Rico Ping! Please Freepmail me if you want on or off the list.
Posted on 05/16/2008 7:24:51 AM PDT by Ebenezer
(English-language translation)
CAGUAS- Governor Aníbal Acevedo Vilá pointed out yesterday that a vote for Barack Obama represents a unique opportunity for Puerto Rico to participate in an open, non-prejudiced deliberation process to decide its future through a constitutional convention or a plebiscite.
Acevedo made the statement after a tour of the Caguas Botanical Garden with [Obama's] wife Michelle and Mayor William Miranda Marín.
The Governor maintained that voting for Obama also means economic development for Puerto Rico since he understands the Puerto Ricans' reality. He stressed that Obama understands the Puerto Ricans' traditions, culture, language, and own identity.
"Barack Obama has clearly recognized our right to fight for our [political] ideal and for the United States to treat us with dignity and justice," Acevedo said.
He added that the primary candidate represents a new conscience from the point of view of the responsibility the government should have for its citizens and as "Puerto Ricans, I believe he represents a new opportunity for Puerto Rico just as the one witnessed by a generation when President John F. Kennedy looked towards Puerto Rico with dignity, with respect, and as a real partner in building not only a better Puerto Rico, but also a better Caribbean, Latin America, and a better world."
Meanwhile, the Governor recalled that Puerto Ricans "are a mix of races, so nobody calls himself a white Puerto Rican or a black Puerto Rican. We are all Puerto Ricans and we have known how to develop as a people with that experience." He [also] recalled the famous phrase "Where's your grandmother?" which makes reference to a person having black blood even if his complexion is white.
[Acevedo] stated that those who have followed Obama's campaign know his story. Born in Hawaii of a Kenyan family and a white American woman, raised in Hawaii and Indonesia, and never rejecting his roots. "That he was not born on a crib of gold, advanced through his own efforts, earned educational, professional, and political positions on his own merits, that is the history of the people of Puerto Rico," the Governor maintained.
He pointed out that he is convinced that, if someone has the capacity to "understand us and be a real partner on behalf of Puerto Rico's interests, that is Barack Obama."
For her part, Michelle Obama stated that, should her husband become President, he will assign the funds for Puerto Rico to initiate a self-determination process that begins in the island.
She recognized that she and her husband believe Puerto Rico must decide if it wishes to remain in its present [political] status, be admitted as a state, or become an independent nation.
"The decision on Puerto Rico's status has to come from the people of the island, and he will totally support that decision," said Michelle, who spent time during the morning with several residents of the Caguas communities of Río Cañas and Borinquen at the Botanical Garden.
The woman, who was introduced several times by the Caguas Mayor as the next First Lady of the United States, expressed gratitude over the support she has received in Puerto Rico and the people's hospitality.
She emphasized that her husband will be a president who will go to the people and pave the way for a future generation.
ping
Ummmm...I believe that this is the same governor who was charged with conspiracy to violate federal campaign laws, wire fraud, conspiracy to defraud the IRS and filing a false tax return.
;-o
I dated a girl who was in the navy and stationed in PR. I visited her once. She pointed out that over 50% of the population was on food stamps and welfare all paid for by the US. I don’t know what it’s like now, but if this is still true then I’m not surprised that they’re in the tank for the democrat.
Puerto Rico Ping! Please Freepmail me if you want on or off the list.
VIVA PUERTO RICO!
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