Thread: Statehood for Puerto Rico

On May 19, 2009, Pedro Peirluisi, Puerto Rico's Representative in the U.S. House of Representatives, introduced H.R. 2499, the "Puerto Rico Democracy Act of 2009", with 88 co-sponsors. That number already has grown to 108. For the third time since 1997, this bill calls for a Puerto Rican referendum on statehood. The following is extracted from Rep. Pierluisi's introductory remarks to H.R. 2499:

"The bill I have introduced today is simple and it is fair. It first authorizes the government of Puerto Rico to conduct a plebiscite. Voters will be asked whether they wish to maintain Puerto Rico’s present form of political status or whether they wish to have a different political status. If a majority of voters cast their ballots in favor of a different political status, the government of Puerto Rico will be authorized to conduct a second plebiscite among three options: independence, statehood, and sovereignty in association with the United States."
http://prssa51.wordpress.com/2009/05/23 ... ry-remarks

H.R. 2499 follows two other recent bills for Puerto Rican statehood in the U.S. Congress: H.R. 856, "The United States-Puerto Rico States Act", passed by the House of Representatives March 9, 1998, and H.R. 900, "The Puerto Rico Democracy Act of 2007" sponsored by Rep. Jose Serrano (D-NY).

Although people born on Puerto Rico are citizens of the United States, the majority of Puerto Ricans speak Spanish not only as their first, but as their only language. No provision is contained in these Puerto Rican statehood bills requiring that Puerto Rico recognize or adopt English as the language of its government. Admitting Puerto Rico as our 51st state without such a provision would give defacto recognition to Spanish as a language equal to English in the United States.

Most of the information presented here is extracted from the websites of three national organizations dedicated to making English the official language of the United States: English First; ProEnglish; and U.S. English. Links to these three websites are given below. English First maintains separate webpages for its ongoing "No Statehood for Puerto Rico" project.

Unfortunately the information condensed from these three website now refers specifically to the defunct H.R. 856 and/or H.R. 900 bills. However, the information provided and the objections raised often apply equally to the new legislation just introduced by Rep. Pierluisi. I hope these organizations soon will update their websites to reflect the new situation. The nomination of Judge Sonia Sotomayor, the daughter of native Puerto Ricans who evidently was "on record" as supporting statehood for Puerto Rico during her days at Princeton to the U.S. Supreme Court adds a new dimenstion to this new intiative.

Additionally, as English First reminds us, "Moslem terrorists weren't the first people to try to blow up the World Trade Center in 1993 or 2001.

"Puerto Rico nationalists were in 1977. The Fuerzas Armadas de Liberación Nacional (English: Armed Forces of National Liberation, better known in the United States as the FALN, has left behind a trail of bloodshed and mayhem for nearly six decades -- 18 pages worth at least." (Links to further information about the activities of FALN are provided at the source below.)
http://www.nopuertoricostatehood.com/pu ... orism.html

A short account of the history of FALN is available at Wikipedia (below), including a brief account of the 1999 pardon by President Bill Clinton of 16 FALN bombers, pardons which Hillary Clinton initially worked actively to promote:

"FALN Pardons of 1999

On August 11, 1999, Bill Clinton commuted the sentences of sixteen members of FALN that set off bombs several times in New York City and Chicago, convicted for conspiracies to commit robbery, bomb-making, and sedition, as well as for firearms and explosives violations.[11] None of the sixteen were convicted of bombings or any crime which injured another person, and all of the sixteen had served nineteen years or longer in prison, which was a longer sentence than such crimes typically received, according to the White House.[12] Clinton offered clemency, on condition that the prisoners renounce violence, at the appeal of 10 Nobel Peace Prize laureates, President Jimmy Carter, the Cardinal of New York, and the Archbishop of Puerto Rico. The commutation was opposed by U.S. Attorney's Office, the FBI, and the Federal Bureau of Prisons and criticised by many including former victims of FALN terrorist activities, the Fraternal Order of Police,[13] and members of Congress. Hillary Clinton in her campaign for Senator also criticised the commutation, although she had earlier been supportive.[5][14]"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fuerzas_Ar ... uerto_Rico)


Websites of National organizations promoting official English:
English First
http://www.englishfirst.org
"No Statehood for Puerto Rico":
http://www.nopuertoricostatehood.com/

ProEnglish: the English Language Advocates
http://www.proenglish.org
Puerto Rican Statehood,
"No Puerto Rican Statehood Without English" Project:
http://www.proenglish.org/issues/pr/index.html

U.S. English
http://www.us-english.org/
U.S. English Foundation on Research
Puerto Rican Statehood:
http://www.us-english.org/view/287


STATEHOOD FOR PUERTO RICO

I. The text of H.R. 2499 is not long and was available at the link given below. However, you may have to go to the Thomas site on the U.S. House of Representatives site and enter the bill number to retrieve it.

H.R.2499
Title: To provide for a federally sanctioned self-determination process for the people of Puerto Rico.
Sponsor: Rep Pierluisi, Pedro R. [PR] (introduced 5/19/2009) Cosponsors (10
Latest Major Action: 5/19/2009 Referred to House committee. Status: Referred to the House Committee on Natural Resources

Text:
http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/thomas


Below is an extraction from a statement by ProEnglish about the danger posed by HR 900 ("No Puerto Rican Statehood Without English") which could apply equally to HR 2499:

"ProEnglish opposes this bill for two reasons. First there is no provision in the bill that requires Puerto Rico to adopt English as the language of its government, which ProEnglish believes must be a pre-requisite for any territory or commonwealth to be admitted as a state. Second, the two stage plebiscite is a carefully contrived effort to get a majority of Puerto Ricans to vote in favor of statehood, something Puerto Ricans have repeated refused to do despite several attempts in the past. It is therefore undemocratic, manipulative, and an insult to the citizens of Puerto Rico."
http://www.proenglish.org/issues/pr/index.html


II. I have chosen the introductory statement about the history of the United States's relationship with Puerto Rico from the project of English First ("No Statehood for Puerto Rico - Bad for Puerto Rico, Bad for the United States") because it is so simple.

"NO STATEHOOD FOR PUERTO RICO. BAD FOR PUERTO RICO. BAD FOR THE UNITED STATES

"Puerto Rico is a Spanish-speaking island which has been a semi-independent commonwealth ("freely associated state" in Spanish) of the United States since 1952. Puerto Ricans have been U.S. citizens since 1917. Residents of Puerto Rico have rejected statehood in every referendum conducted on the subject since 1967.

"Periodically some politicians in Washington, D.C. and/or San Juan attempt to revive the issue of American statehood for Puerto Rico. These efforts were badly harmed by Puerto Rico's successful efforts in 1999-2001 to expel the U.S. Navy from its training grounds in Vieques Puerto Rico. After all, it is unsettling to contemplate that the motto of America's 51st state might be that of any other Latin American nation: "Yankee go home." (edit)

"Because pro-Puerto Rico statehood legislation has been reintroduced in the 110th Congress, both the people of America and the people of Puerto Rico must understand what is at stake in this debate."

From the Homepage of the "NoPuertoRicoStatehood.com" Project of ENGLISH FIRST;
http://www.nopuertoricostatehood.com/index.html


III. K.C. McAlpin, Executive Director of ProEnglish, wrote in an October 18, 2007, editorial for the "Washington Times" opposing adoption of H.R. 900, "Puerto Rico Democracy Act of 2007":

Puerto Rican statehood

English must be a precondition

By K.C. McAlpin

"Like a bad penny that keeps coming back, members of Congress are busy again trying to make Puerto Rico our 51st state. Rep. Jose Serrano, New York Democrat, has introduced H.R. 900, the Puerto Rico Democracy Act of 2007.

If Congress passes it, Puerto Ricans would have to vote for the fourth time in 40 years on whether they want their island nation to remain a self-governing U.S. commonwealth or become a U.S. state. One can be forgiven for wondering why Puerto Ricans should have to go through this costly exercise again, since they have gone to the polls and rejected statehood three times before, the last occurring in 1998."

The complete text of this editorial is available at:
http://www.proenglish.org/issues/offeng ... orial.html


IV. From U.S. ENGLISH FOUNDATION RESEARCH are the following, including the text of H.R. 856. Their issue briefing, "Avoiding an American Quebec; the Future of the United States and Puerto Rico" is especially complete.

Policy Statements

Legislation
Puerto Rican Statehood

Issue Briefing: Avoiding an American Quebec: The Future of Puerto Rico and the United States http://www.usefoundation.org/foundation ... iefing.asp

H.R. 856 — The United States-Puerto Rico Political Status Act
Text: Passed by the House of Representatives, March 4, 1998:
http://www.us-english.org/view/288

Testimony on Puerto Rico Statehood
(Before the House Committee on Resources, March 19, 1997
http://www.us-english.org/view/289 )

http://www.us-english.org/view/287

Each of these organizations provides more detailed information about the history of the relationship between the United States and Puerto Rico and the growth of the movement for Puerto Rican statehood on their respective websites. English First has a Petition for U.S. citizens to sign "Against Making Spanish-Only Puerto Rico America's 51st State" and other information on the left sidebar of its "nopuertoricostatehood.com" site:

1. A "Citizen's Petition to the United States Congress Against Making Spanish-Only Puerto Rico America's 51st State".
http://www.nopuertoricostatehood.com/pe ... tition.php

2. Further "Puerto Rico Statehood Facts":

Cost
Language
Terrorism
Nationalism
Patriotism
Home

http://www.nopuertoricostatehood.com/index.html


I hope this will raise interest in the issue of Puerto Rican statehood and provide information for more research into the subject, allowing readers to better follow H.R. 2499, which is receiving such rapid and strong support among members of the U.S. Congress.

The concluding information is taken from the website of ProEnglish:

HISTORY OF PUERTO RICO, ITS STATUS, AND OFFICIAL LANGUAGES

1900: The island was surrendered to the United States military authority. On April 2, the Foraker Law (Organic Act of 1900) is approved, establishing civil government and free commerce between the island and United States. The law was impulsed into Congress by senator Joseph B. Foraker. Puerto Rico became U.S. first unincorporated territory. The new government had an American governor, with 5 Puerto Rican Cabinet members. The first civil governor (Charles H. Allen) of the island under the Foraker Act was inaugurated on May 1, in San Juan.

1902: The Official Languages Act (under the Foraker Act) was instituted which declared that in all insular governmental departments, courts, and public offices, English was to be regarded as co-official with Spanish, and when necessary, translations and interpretations from one language to the other would be made so that all parties could understand the proceedings.

1917: On March 2, President Woodrow Wilson signed the Jones Act. With this law, Puerto Rico: became a territory of the United States ("organized but unincorporated,"); had its citizens granted citizenship by act of Congress (not by the Constitution and therefore not guaranteed by it); Established that elections were to be celebrated every four years; made English the official language.

1922: In the case of Balzac v. Porto Rico (258 U.S. 30 the U.S. Supreme Court declared that Puerto Rico was a territory rather than a part of the Union. The decision stated that the U.S. constitution did not apply in Puerto Rico.

1946: A bill was passed ordering "the exclusive use of the Spanish language for teaching in all public schools."

1950: Congress authorizes Puerto Ricans to draft their own constitution, establishing the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.

1967: The first plebiscite on the political status of Puerto Rico is held. Voters overwhelmingly affirm continuation of Commonwealth status.
Commonwealth 60%
Statehood 39%
Independence 1%

1991: Puerto Rico declares Spanish the only official language of the island.

1993: Puerto Rico declares English and Spanish as the official languages of Puerto Rico. In a referendum, Commonwealth status is reaffirmed by voters.
Commonwealth....... 826,326 (48.6%)
Statehood.......... 788,296 (46.3%)
Independence........ 75,620 ( 4.4%)
Nulls............... 10,748 ( 0.7%)

1998: Puerto Rico votes on whether to become a state, for the third time. The party opposed to statehood, dissatisfied with the ballot's wording, encourages its supporters to vote "None of the above," the option which receives the most votes:
Commonwealth: 0.6%
Independent Nation with Free Association: 0.3%
Statehood: 46.5%
Independent Nation: 2.5%
None of the above (commonwealth): 50.3%[2]

Click to go to the news archive for Puerto Rico statehood.
http://www.proenglish.org/news/prnews.html

Click here to read K.C. McAlpin's editorial on Puerto Rican statehood.
http://www.proenglish.org/issues/offeng ... orial.html

[1]Source: Based on U.S. Census 2000, Summary File 4.
[2]Source: welcome.topuertorico.com

Click here for more information on why ProEnglish opposes H.R. 900.
http://www.proenglish.org/issues/pr/HR900.html

http://www.proenglish.org/issues/pr/index.html

I don't care if PR becomes independent of US if it means we don't have to give them social securty and/or any other finanancial considerations.

Related:
From: "Grading Sotomayor's Senior Thesis"
By Stuart Taylor, Jr.: Commentary
http://www.alipac.us/ftopicp-907203.html#907203

"There are also a few jarring elements that contrast to the pedagogical approach. First, I'm curious as to when Sotomayor ceased being a Puerto Rican nationalist who favors independence -- as she says she does in the preface. (The position, as she points out in the thesis, had received 0.6 percent in a 1967 referendum, the most recent such vote before she wrote the thesis.) I don't know that I've seen it reported anywhere that she favored Puerto Rican independence, which has always been very much a fringe position....

Second, her unwillingness to call the Congress the U.S. Congress is bizarre -- in the thesis, it's always referred to as either the 'North American Congress' or the 'mainland Congress.' I guess by the language of her thesis, it should be said that she's seeking an appointment to the North American Supreme Court, subject to advice and consent of the North American Senate. This kind of rhetoric was very trendy, and not uncommon, among the Latin Americanist fringe of the academy."

("...but an award-winning history professor -- K.C. Johnson of Brooklyn College and CUNY Graduate Center -- who read it (Sotomayor's senior thesis at Princeton) at my request concluded that "the thesis would probably receive an A/A minus or an A minus."
The above comments are those of Professor Johnson.)