🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <1992Apr14.214015.6724@techbook.com> gummitch@techbook.com (Jeff Frane) writes:
>   You need to read a little more history of the Phillipines, also Takaki's
>   excellent history of Asian-Americans, which covers the US attitude
>   toward the Filipinos.  Your assertion that Puerto Ricans don't "want
>   independence" is somewhat at variance with the facts.  A significant
>   minority of the population _do_ want independence, and an even larger
>   group want the priviliges of statehood.  And, in any event, it has
>   _nothing_ to do with the original imperialistic motivations of the US
>   Government.

You know as well as I that repeated referenda in Puerto Rico have
rejected any change from the present commonwealth status.  Certainly
an insignificant fraction of their population wants independence, and
another insignificant fraction wants statehood.  However in a
democracy the will of the people is determined by a majority vote.

>   Obviously you weren't around in the 1960s, or you would realize that a
>   lot of people living in Watts, Harlem, etc. _did_ consider themselves
>   --with plenty of reason--to be colonies.  And there is a great deal to
>   be said for maintaining a source of cheap labor.  But that's another
>   issue.

I remember the 1960s quite well.  It was a period of political
extremism, on both sides, where catchphrases were used as weapons of
class struggle, more than as accurate descriptions of reality.  The
word colony obviously does not apply to these neighborhoods, but was
used as an epithet for the racism and economic malaise they suffered
under (and still do).

>   Anyway, WHAT ABOUT THE INDIANS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I prefer the Yankees, myself.
--
=Jim  jime%atc.ll.mit.edu (Jim Eggert)