Hands off Vieques

It took hundreds of massive protests and scores of arrests to put an end to the U.S. Navy’s bombing exercises in Vieques, Puerto Rico. But apparently, some leaders have short memories.

As reported by the Associated Press, Puerto Rico’s Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi stated that he was open to re-establishing a “low-intensity” military presence in Vieques. The move would be a part of Puerto Rico’s moral obligation, as Pierluisi put it, to national defense.

The AP also reported that U.S. military leaders and Republican Senator Jim Inhofe, of Oklahoma, have said that Vieques could serve a strategic purpose for the Armed Forces.

Since the initial report, Pierluisi has backtracked on his statement. But in case he wants to waver again or military leaders plan to act, there is a resounding message for them—hands off Vieques.

Viequenses already expressed their will to eliminate the U.S. Navy’s training base there. They were successful. And they had to be—six decades of live shelling wreaked havoc on their lives and the environment there.

Instead of flirting with the Armed Forces, Pierluisi should be a relentless advocate for the cleanup of Vieques. The sea floor off Vieques remains littered with unexploded bombs. Highly toxic cancer-leaking materials have damaged marine life, the livelihood of fishermen and the health of Viequenses. Viequenses suffer from higher rates of cancer than the rest of Puerto Rico.

As for national defense, Puerto Rico has carried more than its burden. Soldiers from Puerto Rico have made the ultimate sacrifice in U.S. conflicts—without the right to vote for their Commander in Chief.

President Obama must ensure that the democratically expressed will of Viequenses is respected. And he should press the Navy, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Puerto Rico Environmental Quality Board to focus on the task they have failed to complete—the decontamination of Vieques.

It took hundreds of massive protests and scores of arrests to put an end to the U.S. Navy’s bombing exercises in Vieques, Puerto Rico. But apparently, some leaders have short memories.

As reported by the Associated Press, Puerto Rico’s Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi stated that he was open to re-establishing a “low-intensity” military presence in Vieques. The move would be a part of Puerto Rico’s moral obligation, as Pierluisi put it, to national defense.

The AP also reported that U.S. military leaders and Republican Senator Jim Inhofe, of Oklahoma, have said that Vieques could serve a strategic purpose for the Armed Forces.

Since the initial report, Pierluisi has backtracked on his statement. But in case he wants to waver again or military leaders plan to act, there is a resounding message for them—hands off Vieques.

Viequenses already expressed their will to eliminate the U.S. Navy’s training base there. They were successful. And they had to be—six decades of live shelling wreaked havoc on their lives and the environment there.

Instead of flirting with the Armed Forces, Pierluisi should be a relentless advocate for the cleanup of Vieques. The sea floor off Vieques remains littered with unexploded bombs. Highly toxic cancer-leaking materials have damaged marine life, the livelihood of fishermen and the health of Viequenses. Viequenses suffer from higher rates of cancer than the rest of Puerto Rico.

As for national defense, Puerto Rico has carried more than its burden. Soldiers from Puerto Rico have made the ultimate sacrifice in U.S. conflicts—without the right to vote for their Commander in Chief.

President Obama must ensure that the democratically expressed will of Viequenses is respected. And he should press the Navy, the Environmental Protection Agency, and the Puerto Rico Environmental Quality Board to focus on the task they have failed to complete—the decontamination of Vieques.

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