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Careful with the "you"; "tiredoflurking" is a Republican.

Actually, most of the activists causing trouble at Vieques were leftist mainlanders, not Puerto Ricans. The Puerto Ricans work there, and depend on it for their living. But there are a lot of mainlanders that are turning Vieques into their own private domain, and they tend to be leftists.

And, then there are the leftists and academics on the island, who are as pro-military as any academic anywhere in the US. You have to realize, you are dealing with the same ilk there as here. The left hates the US. Doesn't matter if they are mainlanders or islanders, or Euros or Egyptians.

The governor is, basically, a Democrat. She tried to find some kind of a compromise to satisfy the left, but in the end, she tilted left. Why? She's a Democrat. She is playing to the left, while trying to hang on to the jobs that go with the base. Does that sound irrational? Hypocritical? Of course. She's a Democrat.

The break-down on the island between Repubs and Demos is about the same as on the mainland, and the non-Democrat hardcore left is a distinct minority. Which means that there, like here, if you are a Repub, you have your work cut out for you. My position is you don't back down to the left there, or here, or anywhere. Any small victory only encourages them.