Puerto Rico - war bounty - a "territory" ceded to the US after the Spanish were defeated in 1898. Vieques - a small island off the eastern point of Puerto Rico - for decades a target range for amphibious landings and joint maneuver bombings by the US armed forces.
After reading a three page article in the Jacksonville Times Union a few weeks ago that dealt primarily with the unique characteristics of Vieques that made it an ideal staging ground for war "games", and then reading also about the grassroots efforts by the Puerto Rican environmental movement to STOP the bombing of Vieques, I decided I wanted to take a look for myself.
An opportunity arose when Vitan, whom I had met at an FCPJ conference held in Cocoa Beach and also at the demonstration at the gates of the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, sent an appeal to the FCPJ (Florida Coalition for Peace and Justice) for an international presence.
The issues of commonwealth (sic, read "colony" status) versus independence or statehood are issues that put most Puerto Ricans in a dilemma. We didn't meet anyone who was in favor of statehood. Notwithstanding a strong, underlying, emotional wish for independence, there is broad-based fear among Puerto Ricans that breaking away from the colonial rule would adversely affect their economic situation - hence the political concession. Most Puerto Ricans seem to have reluctantly accepted the Real Politik of US domination. But the issue of Vieques has, for the first time in Puerto Rican history, evoked a broad consensus: the bombing must stop, the island must be "liberated".
The use of Vieques as a bombing range has become a burning issue in Puerto Rico.
Connecting the encampments is the "Ho Chi Ming trail". People are warned to not stray from the beaten path to avoid tripping onto unexploded ordnance.
The second day there, we walked from one camp to another meeting and talking with the people in each camp. Being fluent in Spanish, it was very easy for me to engage in conversation and hear their stories. Between the camps we encountered a mock airstrip with two jet fighters riddled with bullet holes.
At one camp a mass was being said. At another there was a delicious fish fry. Senator Berrios was receiving a delegation of citizens from Culebra who had come to express their solidarity. Up on Mount David I met several members of the New York City Council who were part of a 150 person delegation of legislators and judges who, like us, had come to Vieques to learn for themselves. From the height of Mount David we could see a moon-like landscape, pock-marked with bomb craters.
When we first visited the teachers' camp, they were putting 4x4 pressure treated posts in the sand. The following day, a plywood floor was in; pressure treated siding panels had been installed, and a bright zinc roof was being nailed to the rafters! The sense of community was inspiring.
I believe that with this type of spirit, the people will finally have to be taken into consideration. Public opinion has been successfully mobilized internationally as well. If federal marshals move in to clear the area, as they have threatened to do, the U.S. will face the prospect of massive protests throughout Puerto Rico. Yet if they don't, more structures will go up, and more and more people will come and settle. There's no doubt about that - it's too beautiful a place to not want to visit. Which brings me to the message I was repeatedly urged to relate to the people back in the US: you have an open invitation to participate in this nonviolent civil action!
Our Puerto Rican hosts emphasized the symbolic nature of Vieques and were quick to make the distinction between American people and the American military machine, and make the connections between Vieques and environmental concerns everywhere, to military- versus social- spending issues, to the ills of corporate greed, etc., etc..
So, bring your kids along too: it's the most exciting, most inexpensive and most inspiring holiday you could possibly have anywhere.
