It's not just a blog carnival; it's the law! ~ a fool in the forest
George Wallace, a lawyer who blogs on Declarations and Exclusions about News and Comments on California Insurance Law, the Politics of Insurance, and Other Risky Business hosts Blawg Review #304 on a very serious subject.
We don't just let anybody host Blawg Review, you know -- the trick is to get the right host for each specific date.
The peaceful march resulted in the death of 17 unarmed civilians at the hands of the Insular Police, in addition to some 235 wounded civilians, including women and children.
After the U.S. occupation of Puerto Rico in 1898, the Island's political status within the US became a subject of ardent conversation within Puerto Rican political circles. A number of political parties sprung up as a result of this, with platforms founded on the differing ideologies of what such relationship with the US should be. The three basic platforms were independence, statehood, and commonwealth, an in-between status of greater local autonomy while still being a territory of the US.Report of the Commission of Inquiry on Civil Rights in Puerto Rico: The Commission, 70p, np, May 22, 1937.
(The Commission was formed to investigate the circumstances surrounding violent actions by the Insular Police of Puerto Rico, a force somewhat resembling the National Guard of the typical U.S. state that answered to the U.S. appointed governor. The affray took place in Ponce, Puerto Rico’s second largest city, on March 21, 1937. A large contingent of the Insular Police had been assembled to enforce an order from the Governor forbidding a planned parade by members of the Nationalist Party, a group that, while non-violent, fiercely advocated Puerto Rican independence. At least 14 persons were killed and another 64 injured when the police suddenly opened fire both on the Nationalists who were assembling to parade outside their clubhouse and also upon the many bystanders. An official report on the incident was submitted to Ernest Gruening, Director of the Division of Territories and Island Possessions of the U.S. Department of the Interior. The report alleged that an official investigation had been made on the scene, that the investigation had determined that the police had been protecting themselves after first being shot at by the Nationalists, and that following the affray a quantity of arms and ammunition had been discovered in the Nationalists’ clubhouse. This version of events was echoed in the American press. However, after hearings held in Ponce and elsewhere on the island, the Commission’s report carefully lays out the facts discovered and concludes that: no official investigation had in fact been conducted; only the militia were armed; what occurred was in fact a police riot, and that; the “only possible descriptive title” was “massacre.” It also revealed a fact till then unknown, namely that the local Prosecuting Attorney had resigned in protest at what he considered the untruthful official version of events. While principally focused on the Ponce incident, the report also touches upon the state of civil liberties generally in the U.S. colony. The Commission was headed by Arthur Garfield Hays, one of the founders of and longtime General Counsel to the American Civil Liberties Union, headquartered in New York. The rest of the commissioners were distinguished Puerto Rican citizens.)The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) of Puerto Rico National Chapter, documenting the current human rights crisis in Puerto Rico, says the First Amendment is under seige.
While the world celebrates the democratic revolution in Egypt, major violations of basic human rights are occurring in our own backyard. Since Governor of Puerto Rico Luis Fortuño came into power two years ago, free speech has been under all-out assault.Jacqueline Hall writes, "police brutality, constitutional violations and government sponsored propaganda are rampant and currently destroying civil liberties in Puerto Rico. Though nearly everyone is aware of the recent uprisings in Egypt and throughout the Middle East, the injustices being suffered by Puerto Ricans, who are U.S. citizens, are hardly mentioned in mainstream media."
The American Civil Liberties Union sent a letter to the Department of Justice (DOJ) [March 12, 2011] urging it to intervene in serious human rights and civil liberties abuses reported to be occurring against the people of Puerto Rico at the hands of the territory’s government. The ACLU asked that DOJ conclude its ongoing investigation of allegations of serious incidents of police violence and the suppression of free expression – including numerous reports of violent attacks against peaceful protesters and racially motivated police abuse – and take action to end these egregious practices.National Guard ends year of policing in Puerto Rico. Yay!!! Mission accomplished.
The prospect of America gaining a new state would normally be newsworthy, yet H.R.2499 missed out. Meanwhile, decade old perceptions of Democratic gerrymandering, and opinions based on the 93 and 98 failed plebiscites re-surfaced.This 78 Minute Audio Documentary speaks with the participants themselves, and looks into the decades long debate over Puerto Rican Statehood.
"For over a century, the people of Puerto Rico and the United States have woven a lasting political, economic, social, and cultural relationship. Today, this relationship is strengthened and renewed by more than four million U.S. citizens who call Puerto Rico home and nearly equal number of Puerto Ricans living on the mainland who travel back to Puerto Rico for business, vacation, or visits to see family and friends. We honor their contributions to the Nation and welcome their vigorous participation in helping to develop, shape, and implement the recommendations presented in this Report."In a statement, the Resident Commissioner, Pedro Pierluisi, called the White House Task Force Report an historic document, one that says that resolution of Puerto Rico’s status issue should be an urgent priority, discusses the economic situation on the Island in detailed fashion, and offers recommendations in important areas like health and education.
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA, MARCH 11, 2011
"We Are the World" a song and charity single originally recorded by the supergroup USA for Africa was released on this date, March 7, in 1985. It was written by Michael Jackson and Lionel Richie, and produced by Quincy Jones and Michael Omartian for the album We Are the World.
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