Monday, September 25, 2017
Sorry, Puerto Rico, You're Just Not White Enough.
Donald Trump has earned praise for how well his administration has responded to the disasters caused in Texas and the southeast by Hurricanes Harvey and Irma.
He's not showing signs of wanting to do the same for Puerto Rico which really got hammered by Hurricane Maria. What is it? Maria is a Latina name? Not enough white folks in Puerto Rico? Trump too busy attacking uppity black athletes?
Slavery lives in Puerto Rico, political slavery that is. Puerto Ricans cannot vote in federal elections unless they can demonstrate residence in one of the 50 states or the District of Columbia. For most Puerto Ricans that means taxation without representation. At one time, way back when, Americans revolted over that. Puerto Ricans can't even buy goods on the open market. They can only buy stuff delivered in American ships manned by American crews. In a way they're hostages.
Before Maria Puerto Rico was already down, bankrupt. Now it's down and out. People who vote get attention. People who can't vote, well...
What Puerto Ricans could do to really set off Trump's ire is to move en masse to the mainland.
ReplyDeletePuerto Rico suffers under American control. I don't know why the Americans want it. They won't let it become a State but they won't let it do anything else. I don't see a military advantage. Maybe there was some use 150 years ago but now it looks like a colony the US hangs onto but doesn't know why. It's complicated.
http://theconversation.com/are-puerto-ricans-really-american-citizens-73723
Not too many years ago Puerto Ricans who moved to mainland US cities suffered from a great deal of racism. They probably still do. They make an easy target for bigots like Trump.
Yeah - to all that.
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