Vieques says ya basta! to U.S. Navy

(4-17-2002)

by Matt Kapko
Community editor, The Lumberjack

As the conflict in the Middle East spins out of control, I can't help but think of how the U.S. Navy continues to commit acts of an appalling nature, parallel to those of the Israeli military.

It's no surprise that Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is continuing to do things as he sees fit.

While he's in seventh heaven taking part in photo ops with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, he refuses to follow international demands for a complete and immediate withdrawal from Palestine.

A conflict much closer to home that receives little if any media coverage is unfolding in Vieques. This small island in Puerto Rico has been the location of a U.S. Navy base since 1938.

Puerto Rico is a commonwealth of the United States whose inhabitants are American citizens that cannot vote in national elections.

Puerto Rico elects one nonvoting representative to the U.S. House of Representatives.

Much like Palestine, Puerto Rico does not have sovereignty over their land and is subject to foreign rule.

The U.S. Navy has expropriated more than two-thirds of Vieques and frequently uses what was once farming land for bombing exercises.

Amid widespread protest and demonstrations, the U.S. Navy resumed bombing practices on April 1. Vieques has witnessed continued dissent ever since off-target bombs killed civilian guard David Sanes-Rodriguez in 1999.

The bombings have devastating effects on the environment, economy and people of Vieques.

The Viequenses have a mortality rate 40 percent higher than that of Puerto Rico. With a population of 9,100, at least six people died in the first weeks of March from different types of cancer and sickness related to environmental contamination.

In spring 1999, the U.S. Navy admitted to firing uranium projectiles which, on impact, produce uranium oxide that can travel by wind to the civilian population less than 10 miles away.

The latest wave of protests has been met with fierce aggression from the U.S. Navy.

Last Saturday, military personnel cut the Navy fence and entered into the neighborhood of Monte Carlo throwing tear gas at the protestors. Incendiary devices were also thrown and resulted in large fires on the base as well as in the backyard of an adjacent home.

This cycle of demonstrations being countered by tear gas has been playing out for weeks. On April 6, U.S. Navy spokespersons justified their use of tear gas alleging demonstrators were throwing rocks at guards. The protestors deny this claim.

It has been a year since 110 members of the U.S. House of Representatives signed a letter to President Bush demanding the immediate cessation of bombing practices on Vieques.

Last weekend the National Summit for Peace with Justice in Vieques was held in New York.

The members agreed to call for increased pressure on Bush to issue an executive order for the Navy's departure. They also affirmed their support for return of the land to the Viequenses as well as decontamination and sustainable development of the island.

I can't help but wonder if Bush toned down demands for Israel's immediate withdrawal from Palestine when he realized the hypocrisy in his handling of the situation in Vieques.

Unlike the Israeli military, the U.S. Navy has refrained from gunning down those who oppose its actions but nonetheless has caused similar results.

My intentions are not to downplay the murder of Palestinians but bring to light the situation in Vieques.

Much like the Palestinians, the Viequenses are dedicated to continuing their struggle until their demands are met. Both peoples have been dispossessed of their homeland and represent the underdog -- David facing Goliath.

To make things more difficult for Bush, he can't simply rattle off the buzzword "terrorism" when referring to the conflict in Vieques. Bush's power does however afford him the luxury of being Sharon-like in his refusal to concede to demands for immediate withdrawal.

But unlike Sharon, Bush should at least be credited for offering a timeframe for withdrawal -- sometime in 2003.

So while missles wash up on the shores of Puerto Rico, Americans can be relieved to know that their Navy has not followed in the footsteps of the Israeli military. And unlike Israel have not banned journalists from areas where alleged massacres took place or hoped to bury those they kill, claiming the bodies will be used as propaganda.

Matt is the Community editor of The Lumberjack and wants you to know that "ya basta" means enough is enough in Spanish.