Vieques Protest Backfires

strategypage ^

[budanski]

May 9, 2003: Bowing to political pressure, the Vieques bombing range in Puerto Rico was closed earlier this month. While there are bombing and artillery ranges all over the United States, this was the first time shutting one down because a popular political cause. Eventually the politicians caved. But it turns out there will be consequences. The nearby Roosevelt Roads naval base serves mainly to support ships using the Vieques bombing range. The base is being closed. The base provided 1200 local civilians with jobs, as well as 700 military personnel. The base put $300 million a year into the local economy. The jobs, and the navy ships and aircraft, are moving north to Florida, where an existing bombing range will be used. The weather conditions are not as placid in Florida as in Puerto Rico, meaning there will be more training delays for bad weather, and the waters off Florida are more crowded, meaning more expense to keep areas clear when the warships and warplanes are exercising. The governor of Puerto Rico complained about the loss of the jobs, but he and his fellow Puerto Rican politicians never got behind the navy with support to keep Vieques open, and apparently missed the fact that Roosevelt Roads would close as a result. Moreover, the activists who wanted Vieques closed thought that the bombing range would be cleaned up (unexploded bombs removed) so the area could be bought by developers and tourist facilities built. But cleaning up the old bombs is too expensive, and the Vieques range is being turned over to the Department of the Interior for use as a wildlife refuge. The fence around the range will warn people to keep out, because of hundreds (no one knows exactly how many) unexploded bombs and shells in there. Agitating to get Congress to appropriate billions to clean up the Vieques site is likely to fail, there being so many other more worthy things to do with the money.

[Not A Snowbird]

Once again, the protesters didn't think through the consequences of their actions.

[Wonder Warthog]

Ooooppss!

[SunStar]

LOL!

[maeng]

Serves them right! All they want is America's money...

[MEG33]

The consequences of good intentions with no thought of the fallout.

[G L Tirebiter]

Hope we soon get to read similar stories about how folks in Germany are bemoaning the loss of U.S. bases there.

[JeeperFreeper]

Like the old adage says, "be careful what you ask for; you may get it."

[FreePaul]

Newton's laws of motion are pretty well defined and understood. Too bad that people don't understand the laws of political consequences as well. Too many are willing to demand change in order to show muscle but are not willing to live with the changes when they get them.

[KOZ.]

awwwwwwww developers arent going to build gambling casinos?
suckers.

[longtermmemmory]

same thing happened in greece. locals demanded two US military bases out. The US said ok. (we needed to close bases anyways) The politicians expected resistance not an agreement but it was too late. The bases are gone and their ecconomy suffered.

[BureaucratusMaximus]

(in my best Nelson voice...)

HAH HAH!

[Not A Snowbird]

Darn. I was hoping they'd put up a timeshare.

[the gillman@blacklagoon.com]

I'm thinking extremely uncharitable thoughts regarding the fools in question.

[Malesherbes]

Not to worry: the 1200 who lost jobs can move to New York City and go on welfare. They may, however, have to give up smoking.

[Billthedrill]

Moreover, the activists who wanted Vieques closed thought that the bombing range would be cleaned up (unexploded bombs removed) so the area could be bought by developers and tourist facilities built. But cleaning up the old bombs is too expensive, and the Vieques range is being turned over to the Department of the Interior for use as a wildlife refuge.

Something like this happened in Guam as well a few years back. Local developers thought to acquire some prime property and get rich; instead the local government got it. The protests magically evaporated after that. Imagine that.

[dfwgator]

Now let's get out of Puerto Rico altogether, and leave them to become another third-world hellhole.

[pepsionice]

I actually went on a vacation to Crete and stayed about a mile from the old base there. I walked up to the beautiful sandy beach and saw just an empty shell. No one lives in base housing. No commericial venture has moved in. And the locals all look back at the good years at all the money that rolled in. There are tourists in the local area but its not the same. At least the Americans were there all year round.

Puerto Rico probably will feel more of the pain as Xmas rolls around and less money in the pockets of the locals. The politicans will be stuck trying to figure out how to bring in more business and there really isn't anything they can do. The Caribbean is a dead-zone except for tourism and there isn't much to see or do in Puerto Rico.

[Porterville]

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA, BETTER DEAD THEN RED, YOU COMMIE CHE LOVING PIGS

[Paleo Conservative]

Too bad the federal government didn't buy the whole island during WWII.