Hurricane María battered the American possession/colony of Puerto Rico on September 20, 2017.
Life in my country has forever been changed.
Even though this is not top news anymore, the 3 million + American citizens living there are hurting, suffering and dealing with their lives the best way they can.
~THE LADY IN READ WHO APPEARS IN THE VIDEO~
Jennifer González-Colón is the resident commissioner from Puerto Rico and is a Republican. She has served since Jan 3, 2017. González-Colón is next up for reelection in 2020.
Because Puerto Rico is a territory/colony of the United States, and not a state, its representative in the House of Representatives is a delegate, called the resident commissioner, with limited voting privileges – González-Colón can vote in committee but not on the House floor, including not on the final passage of bills. Delegates have a marginalized role in Congress and their constituents are not represented in Congress in the same manner as most citizens.
I don’t agree with her politics and I personally do not like her.
(How can a woman, from an American colony, be a Republican, escapes my mind’s grasp!)
Puerto Rico, Discover a Magnificent and Unique Island
Puerto Rico, officially known as the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico (Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico), is an “unincorporated territory” of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the U.S. Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.
Puerto Rico is only 100 miles long by 35 miles wide, making it the smallest island of the Greater Antilles. Puerto Rico (Spanish for “rich port”) consists of an archipelago that includes the main island of Puerto Rico and several islands: Vieques, Culebra, Mona and numerous islets.
The United States “liberated” Puerto Rico from Spain in 1898. The following year, Hurricane San Ciriaco destroyed millions of dollars in property and nearly the entire year’s coffee crop. Banks swept in, buying land at a steep discount.
Even worse, in 1901, property taxes on every remaining farmer in Puerto Rico were raised. Farmers were forced to borrow from American banks at usurious rates; many lost their land to foreclosure. By 1930, 34 percent of land in use was managed on behalf of absentee owners.
Independence is the only solution, for Puerto Rico and the United States. After 117 years, many Puerto Ricans are victims of Stockholm syndrome, fearful of losing the “safety net” of United States benefits. But it’s clear that the safety net is a chimera. A gradual transition to independence (like that of the Philippines in 1946) would allow both island and mainland to adjust to a sovereign and self-sustaining Republic of Puerto Rico. It is the only way to end this colonial tragedy.
Nelson A. Denis, author of “War Against All Puerto Ricans”
“As it appears in … full credil/full read
I was born and raised in Puerto Rico, always within the framework of the USA presence.
It was a dream for me. I didn’t know anything else.
The American influence is and always be in my most innermost spaces.
Recently I’ve learned a lot about my country’s history.
A country rich in culture, heritage, natural resources and very good and genuine people.
They say “ignorance is bliss” … and this is so very true.
It’s very sad to know the reality of my country’s history. And it even sadder to see what it happening to Puerto Rico now.
This video shows what my country is all about.
The song, the music, the singer, the images all show the greatness of the Island and it’s culture.
Here I am … wishing and hoping but not holding my breath,
Just another traveler on life's highway hanging out in the slow lane. It's quiet, it's peaceful. Beyond the horizon is rest calling my name. Green pastures, still waters, my cup runneth over.
