Posted on 04/23/2002 11:22:12 AM PDT by Walkin Man
Mob Attacks Marines
Tue Apr 23, 2:13 PM ET
By PAISLEY DODDS, Associated Press Writer
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) - A mob armed with bats and pipes attacked 10 U.S. Navy (news - web sites) Marines, leaving one with a cranial fracture and others with injuries from broken bones to minor scrapes, the Navy said Tuesday.
The Marines — more than 60 wearing civilian clothes at the time — had just finished work as a security detachment for contested military exercises on the outlying island of Vieques.
Two Marines were arguing between themselves outside at about 11 p.m. when a mob armed with lead pipes and bats started beating them, Barker said. He did not say what the fight was about.
Eight other Marines came to their friends' defense, and the brawl developed into a large street fight involving more than two dozen people, the Navy and police said.
The attackers fled when police were called. There were no arrests.
Police and the Navy said the fight occurred outside the Hard Rock Cafe, but manager Arnoldo Pegan said it happened about five blocks away.
"The Marines stopped by for dinner and like always, they were well-behaved," he said, adding he saw no argument.
The Marines, stationed in Tidewater, Va., are expected to return to their duties on the mainland this week. They had arrived at the cafe in white civilian buses.
Anti-military sentiment in this U.S. territory flared after an off-target bomb killed a civilian guard in 1999 on Vieques.
Protesters regularly break into the bombing range to delay exercises. The Navy says that during the latest round of maneuvers, which ended last week, protesters threw rocks and other objects at military personnel. The protesters say their demonstrations are peaceful.
Actually, most of the labor is done by Dominicans and Haitians now. While it is true that the initial wave of Cubans in the 1960s originally took menial jobs, those Cubans NOW OWN MOST OF THE LARGER BUSINESSES ON THE ISLAND.
I could say more about the PRs, but I would get thrown off this site.
PR is the turd of the Carribean.
One small problem with this scenario. More Ricans live in NYC than live on the island.
Not true. There are about 1 million Puerto Ricans in the greater NYC area. (All seem to wreck the city during the Parade. Damn thing makes me pine for the relatively mild St. Patty's day vandalism and drunkeness.) There are 2.3 million in Puerto Rico.
I say give PR independence and tell teh Puerto Ricans in the US that they can be Americans or Puerto Ricans, not booth.
But, it really has nothing to do with immigration--you guys are just too much fun to rile. PR has had ample opportunity to become a state, but they would rather wallow in their limbo status. It is the epitome of liberalism--they desire all the benefits without the cost. It is like a spoiled child--eventually you have to cut them off for their own good.
However, I guess you are too simpleminded to grasp the relationship between rights and responsibilities.
I would allow them
the right of return
Good deal sound great lets use the money we use to feed the savages to feed our troops and get our military even further ahead of the curb
FREE PR THEN LEAVE IT ALONE PERIOD
Congress has had over 100 years to address that situation. The Puerto Ricans have had more direct influence for only about half that time. However, IMHO, corrupt influences over Congress have stymied any true effort at assimilation into our Union.
The Foraker Act of 1901 established the relationship of the United States with Puerto Rico and many of its provisions are still in force. During this period the Puerto Ricans were in a citizenship limbo as they weren't citizens of Spain and the title "Puerto Rican citizen", although it applied, meant little, as Puerto Rico was not a free country or legally part of another. This ambiguity was finally solved by the Jones act of 1917 by which Puerto Ricans became American citizens and Puerto Rico became an unincorporated territory of the United States. During the years between 1900 and 1940, Puerto Rico and its people suffered through enormous hardships created by lack of jobs and by poor pay in those jobs that existed. The economy was basically agricultural and one-crop, sugar cane, and the lands producing it and the factories to extract the sugar were mainly owned by corporations from the United States mainland who paid low wages and repatriated all the profits. Partial self-government was granted in 1947, enabling citizens to elect their own governor for the first time. In 1952 a new constitution made Puerto Rico an autonomous part of the United States called the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, or Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico. The Flag and Seal of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico were adopted by the legislative assembly in 1952.
And BTW, in my younger days, I was Officer-in-Charge, Shore Bombardment Area, San Clemente Island.
Good. Then you would be well aware that many Puerto Ricans have served honorably and courageously in our armed forces.
The ones in the Bronx would be NewYoricans, not true Puerto Ricans. (At least that's how my true Puerto Rican mother-in-law refers to them.)
Not really. Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti are much worse.
Again: while it is true that the natives deserve some of the blame for the situation, US government policy didn't help much either.
Most Puerto Ricans ARE NOT for independence and presently for the status quo, because they see what happens to latin american countries when they go independent(tyrannical dictatorships) and also as mentioned previously because of the federal tax issue. Most Puerto Ricans enjoy the American life style that has been brought to the island, in fact. The gov't there is corrupt enough as it is and without the U.S. it will just become another bannana republic. The U.S. will gladly cut them off w/o any aid to help set up a new country, so politicians there aren't junoing at the chance to become an independent state. The U.S. simply uses P.R. as a strategic military location.
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