Hey Y’all,
This is a quickie update on the situation in Vieques as things have suddenly
changed and no one really knows whats happening next. On Monday, the governor
of PR Pedro Rosello agreed to a compromise with Clinton which will allow
bombing for at least four more years. The agreement is essentially the same
proposal that was rejected in December. The difference seems to be another
related news item that Clinton will assemble a Presidential Commission to
figure out the "status" of Puerto Rico. Gov. Rosello wants nothing more in
life than for PR to become the 51st state and for him to get a cushy Federal
job in New England.
The agreement allows for 90 days of bombing a year with inert bombs. The
difference between inert bombs and live bombs is that inert bombs explode
less. The Pentagon has even talked about new "green bombs". Next year there
will be a referendum in Vieques to decide whether to continue bombing until
2004 or to not stop at all. If the people of Vieques vote to allow bombing
they will be rewarded with 50 million dollars. The agreement also promises the
help of PR police in the arrest of demonstrators. Questions abound about the
agreement but the most pressing is Can President McCain simply annul it once
he takes office? Don’t know the answer to that one.
Reaction to the agreement can be summed up by the headline on Tueday’s paper:
Rosello denies he is a Traitor. His buckling has been expected for awhile. The
last month or so he has distanced himself from the comission he appointed that
calls for "an immediate and permanent halt" to the bombing. The only folks
supporting the agreement are members of his party who never had a problem with
the bombing in the first place. The Catholic church the day after announced it
was opening a new civil disobedience camp and a coalition of churches called
the agreement immoral. In fact, remember the bishop who came to break the
chains?, he was there on TV denouncing the governor.
The camps have continued to entrench. They’ve built permanent structures to
house people as well as a school and churches. One camp has a "hotel" that
sleeps 35. They are also starting to raise animals at one camp. The mayor of a
town donated 5,000 live chickens and the first two chicks born were christened
justice and peace. The camp that we have been going to has built a kitchen and
a huge stage for rallies. The other day the stage was used for a kids art class.
Couple dates to look for. February 21st there is a demonstration against the
agreement here in San Juan. Called for on a Monday during lunch, the location
happens to be next to where the major expressways meet and a large group of
people could easily shut down traffic. The other date is more amorphous. The
scheduled first bombing exercises are for march. So arrests have to happen
before then.
One last thing, at the camp outside the gates there is a new sign to count the
days since bombing has stopped. Each night at midnight they change the
numbers. Today it should read: "Days of Peace Torn from the Oppresor: 291."