McClintock remarks at SOMOS Winter Conference 2011

 Keynote remarks

prepared for delivery by

Kenneth D. McClintock

Puerto Rico Secretary of State

SOMOS 2011 Winter Conference

San Juan, Puerto Rico

Veterans Day 2011

Amigas y amigos puertorriqueños... hermanas y hermanos hispanos.  Although I could continue speaking in Spanish, for the benefit of the “culturally-impaired”, I’ll continue in English!

First, I would like to thank SOMOS for their kind invitation… I am very pleased to have been asked to speak at the Puerto Rican/Hispanic Task Force Winter Conference. But I do not want to speak long…

Rather than having you listen to my concerns and my opinions, I would like this to be an opportunity to exchange views… to discuss issues… and to strengthen ties with the members of the larger Hispanic community in New York porque nosotros los puertorriqueños somos solidarios con nuestras hermanas y hermanos hispanos.

I would like this to become more of a town hall meeting than a dinner keynote because a town hall meeting helps to bring together the members of the community, however diverse the community is —and, let’s face it, it’s Friday night and who wants to listen to me talking for forty minutes on end…

Latinos are a diverse group, but whether we are from Mexico, Central America, Cuba, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, or South America, we are bound together not only by our common history and cultural heritage but also by our concerns and interests… by the goals and objectives that we share.

By bringing together the members of the community, we raise awareness about our common concerns and interests and help foster Hispanic leadership in this great Nation of ours.

A town hall is also the seat of local government… and a town hall meeting is perhaps the best example of participatory and representative democracy in America… Therefore, it would be fitting to begin my remarks by talking about an issue that is at the heart of what representative democracy means…

Hispanics are taking an active part in all areas of endeavor and every institution of our democratic society.

Hispanics are having an ever growing influence in the arts and culture, and we are seeing more and more Hispanics in the national media.

Our purchasing power has also been increasing and we are in the marketing plan of every major company in the United States. In 2009, Hispanics accounted for more than 9% of total buying power, compared to less than 4% in 1980. The buying power of Hispanics exceeded $1 trillion in 2010, and the population includes a significant number of high-income households.

We are doing better in business. Hispanics in the United States have been opening businesses at a rate that is three times as fast as the national average. We are driving economic growth and creating jobs.

Make no mistake about it. Immigrants, and the sons and daughters of immigrants, helped to build this great Nation of ours and Hispanics will help to bring this Nation out of recession.

And, more Hispanics become appointed to key positions in the federal government such as the Director of the Office of Intergovernmental Affairs at The White House.

Cecilia Muñoz, the highest-ranking Hispanic in the Executive Office of The President, oversees the Obama Administration’s relationships with state and local governments. She has done an extraordinary job at keeping Puerto Rico issues at the top of the agendas of cabinet members. Not only does she lead and follow-through, but she is also available at all times. And I can tell you from my experience in government that finding all three is not a common sight at that high level.

Had it not been for her, President Obama probably wouyld not have broken last June 14th the 49 and a half year spell of Presidents not visiting Puerto Rico.  While she doesn’t have a pilot’s license, she was certainly the driving force when Air Force One flew over our skies five months ago!

But in the White House, she’s not only in charge of Puerto Rico-related issues although we like to see her that way here, but in charge of relations with all local governments and intergovernmental organizations, such as the National Governors Association, the National Conference of State Legislatures,  the Council of State Governments that I chaired 13 years ago and, among others, two I’m now active in, the National Lieutenant Governors Association as well as the National Association of Secretaries of State.   And they all speak highly of Cecilia.

Other Hispanics providing leadership in the Obama administration come to mind among which are: Ambassador Carlos Pascual, Special Envoy and Coordinator for International Energy Affairs at the State Department; Julissa Reynoso, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs who was recently appointed as U.S. Ambassador to Paraguay; Anna Gómez, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information; Bill Ramos, Director of Intergovernmental Affairs at the Office of the Secretary of Commerce; and James Albino, Program Manager at the Office of National AIDS Policy of The White House.

Yet Hispanics, including Puerto Ricans, are still underrepresented in politics.  In the case of Puerto Ricans who live in the Islands it is not a question of under-representation, but rather of lack of representation.

The nearly 4 million American citizens that reside in Puerto Rico… 4 million Latinos… have no proportional or voting representation in the U.S. House of Representatives… no representation whatsoever in the U.S. Senate and no direct participation in the election of the President and Vice President.

While Congress adopts legislation that the American citizens of Puerto Rico must abide, our only representation in Congress is a Resident Commissioner in the House that cannot vote on the floor.  And our only participation in the election of the President is choosing the delegates to the national political party conventions. This is simply undemocratic.

I make no secret of the fact that I favor Puerto Rico becoming a State---if you didn’t get that in the panel discussion this afternoon, you must’ve been on the beach! But this is not about political status preferences or party politics. This goes to the heart of democracy. Let me quote from three lifelong advocates of Puerto Rico’s current political status known as “commonwealth” or “estado libre asociado”.

In February 2002 former Governor Sila Calderón was interviewed by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel about a voting registration drive the Government of Puerto Rico was conducting in the States and which she described as “an effort to empower Puerto Ricans politically so that they can be a voice in the issues that affect them.”

Regarding the situation of Puerto Ricans in the Islands, Governor Calderon said:

We need a solution to this problem of lack of representation.

Which particular solution at this point, I cannot tell you. But it is something we must deal with because there are so many (U.S.) laws that apply to Puerto Rico in which we have no representation and no participation.

Former Governor Aníbal Acevedo Vilá, in his remarks at Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy’s School of Government on April 26th 2002 —he was Resident Commissioner at the time— referred to “the problem of the current democratic asymmetry in the US-Puerto Rico relationship”, recognizing the existence of the same problem: that we have no participation in the decisions that are made in Washington.

Former Governor Rafael Hernández-Colón, published an article in the 1998 July/August edition of Foreign Affairs magazine entitled, “Doing Right by Puerto Rico: Congress Must Act.”  In that article, he made the following assertion: “All factions do agree on the need to end the present undemocratic arrangement, whereby Puerto Rico is subject to the laws of Congress but cannot vote in it [emphasis provided].”

At Harvard, Governor Acevedo Vilá spoke of building a new consensus, but it seems that we are already before a strong one. The current political status is unacceptable and we need to give the people a full self-government choice.

Has Congress lived-up to its responsibility in making possible that choice? No. On three occasions the U.S. Senate had the opportunity to take action on bills passed in the House —in 1998 with H.R. 856; in 2007 with H.R. 900; and in 2010 H.R. 2499— but didn’t.

And because Congress has failed to take action to solve Puerto Rico’s political status problem, Hispanics are losing the opportunity to have a larger and more powerful voice in our Nation’s Capital.  Think of this: if Puerto Rico were a State, Hispanics would have two more Senators and five more Representatives in Congress. And, would immigration reform be held-up in a Congress with a full delegation of Senators and Representatives from Puerto Rico? I don’t think so!

It is not that Congress has failed to give sufficient consideration to this question.  During the last 20 years Congress has devoted a prodigious amount of time to discuss the question Puerto Rico’s political status.  But the time spent on hearings did not translate into a law to provide the American citizens of Puerto Rico the opportunity to choose among status options that are constitutionally sound, politically viable, and involve a full measure of self-government.

In fact, during the one hundred and twelve years after the annexation of Puerto Rico, Congress did not sponsor a single plebiscite to resolve the Islands’ political status.

Let me quote once more from former Governor Hernández Colón’s article in FOREIGN AFFAIRS:

“It is morally unacceptable, unfair, and harmful to Puerto Rico and the United States for Congress to relegate the issue to business as usual —that is, do nothing, wait for a Puerto Rican initiative, play with it for a while but take no action, wait for the next initiative, and repeat the cycle.  Such insensitivity undermines Puerto Rico’s capacity for self-government, inflicts considerable hardship on its society, and drains the U.S. Treasury.”

We could not keep waiting for Congress. That is why the administration of Governor Fortuño has taken action to establish a two-step process by which the people of Puerto Rico can choose a final and permanent political status with full self-government.

The first step will be a referendum to be held on August 12, 2012. Voters will be asked whether they want to maintain the current status under the territorial clause of the U.S. Constitution or whether they prefer a non-territorial option.

If more voters choose a non-territorial option, a plebiscite would take place on the same day as the general election in November 6, 2012, giving voters the three status options recognized by the U.N. General Assembly as full-self-government choices: statehood, independence or free association.

At the heart of this issue is that the founders of this Nation meant for the citizenship of the United States to be a source of equal rights but that four million American citizens who reside in Puerto Rico do not have the same rights as those who live in the States.

If citizenship is to truly be a source of equal rights in America, Puerto Rico’s political status must change. The options are obvious: either the people of Puerto Rico continue to be American citizens with all its rights and responsibilities under statehood or they achieve separate sovereignty be it under complete independence or a compact of free association with the United States.

Some may ask, why am I addressing this? I’ll tell you… Because Puerto Ricans in the States and in the Islands need to stand together…

…because Puerto Ricans in the Islands and Latinos in the States are part of the same fabric…

…because Puerto Rico’s political status problem diminishes the political power of Hispanics in the States.

…and because the voting and representation rights that Puerto Rican’s in the Islands lack underscore the value of the exercising the rights that you have in the States.

To those Puerto Ricans who live in the States; I would like to ask: Do you feel boricua? Of course you do… You don’t feel any less boricua because you can vote.

Los boricuas en la Isla y en los estados ya estamos unidos por la identidad de la cultura; es hora que también estemos unidos por el poder del voto. Y, cuando todos los puertorriqueños —los de aquí y los de allá— tengamos el poder del voto, entonces sí que nadie podrá detenernos.

For now, Puerto Ricans who live in the Islands cannot vote to elect Senators or Representatives to Congress and cannot vote to elect the President but those of you who live in the States can and should vote.

Voting is not an option but a necessary and fundamental part of being a citizen in a democratic society and if you are registered to vote not only are you equipped to further you own goals and objectives… but can also be solidarios with the members of the community to which we belong —con nuestras hermanas y hermanos hispanos.

Can your vote make a difference? The answer is an unequivocal and resounding yes!

History provides many examples of how a single vote changed the course of entire nations.  Let me give you an example. Most of us would not conceive of this country without Texas being a part of it, but Texas may not have been admitted into the Union if it was not because of the vote of a farmer in the backwoods of Switzerland County, Indiana, named Freeman Clark.

On Election Day in 1844 Freeman Clark laid seriously ill in bed. He begged his sons to carry him to the county seat so he could vote for David Kelso, the Democratic candidate for the State Senate. Clark owed him. David Kelso had defended Clark on a murder charge and obtained his acquittal. The old farmer got to vote for Kelso but Clark died on his way back home. Guess what? Kelso won the election by one vote…

In 1844 when the new Indiana Senate convened, Democrats had a majority of one —counting, you guessed it, David Kelso. At that time, State senates had the task of electing the States' delegation to the U.S. Senate. The Indiana Senate Democrats held a caucus where a majority of the party delegation favored a man who would vote against the annexation of Texas if elected to the U.S. Senate. David Kelso refused to vote for the Democratic Party choice and a deadlock resulted between the Democratic and Whig candidates. The impasse continued for days. Finally, Kelso made his move. He proposed a new candidate: Edward A. Hannigan. In his party caucus, Kelso notified his Democratic colleagues he would bolt and vote with the Whigs —thus electing a Whig to the U.S. Senate— unless the Democrats supported Hannigan. The Democrats felt constrained to accept Hannigan who was then elected as U.S. Senator for the State of Indiana by one vote —that of David Kelso.

In 1845, Texas was admitted to the Union as a State by one vote —that of Edward A. Hannigan from Indiana. California too was admitted to the Union by a margin of one vote in 1850.

In the 1960 presidential election, one more vote per precinct in the states of Illinois, Missouri, New Jersey, and Texas may have altered the course of America's modern history by denying John F. Kennedy the presidency and placing Richard Nixon in the White House 8 years earlier.

In 1962, the governors of Maine, Rhode Island, and North Dakota were all elected by a margin of one vote per precinct.

Your vote makes a difference and registering to vote is easy.  What is most exciting is that Latinos are one of the fastest growing ethnic groups in the United States and they have the potential of transforming the electoral landscape of this country next November as the nation elects the next President of the United States.  In fact, many analysts predict that the presidential race in 2011 will turn on how Latinos vote in several key States.

If one vote can change the course of a nation’s history, just imagine the unrealized potential for change as millions of Hispanic men and women cast their votes.

However, Latinos will only realize their true political potential in this democratic society if you are registered to vote and go to polls. Your vote will make a difference in this country next November.

I will not take more time… As I said, I want to listen to your views.  I would like to close by thanking you for this extraordinary opportunity… gracias por la oportunidad de dirigirme a ustedes… and we look forward to strengthening our ties to Latinos in New York as we endeavor to increase and improve the participation of Hispanics in America.¡Juntos podemos alcanzar nuestras metas y juntos triunfaremos!

Ahora me gustaría escuchar sus comentarios y responder a sus preguntas.  Así que los que tengan preguntas o comentarios por favor levanten la mano.

Jovén democrata le sale al paso al Senador Federal Menendez

San Juan, PR- El joven lider democrata Phillip Arroyo, le salió ayer al paso al Senador de New Jersey Robert Menendez quién lanzó advertencias sobre el proyecto de plebiscito producto del consenso bipartita del PIP y el PNP. " " Con todo el respeto que se merece el Senador Menendez, erra en sus expresiones, ya que parece olvidar que 184 congresistas demócratas votaron a favor del HR 2499 y el mecanismo de plebiscito. Parece olvidar que 20 de 22 congresistas del caucus hispano del Congreso avalaron el mecanismo de plebiscito esbozado en el proyecto de plebiscito local, y parece olvidar que inclusive el informe de Casa Blanca respalda el plebiscito" expresó Arroyo. 


Arroyo es presidente de la Juventud Demócrata de Puerto Rico (YDA por sus siglas en inglés), e hizo sus expresiones en su carácter personal, toda vez que "algunos de los miembros de YDA aún no abrazan el ideal de la igualdad plena que representa la Estadidad"."Las posturas y las expresiones hechas ayer por el PPD y su candidato a la gobernación en rechazo al plebisicito local se respetan, pero la voz de la mayoria congresional es la que dicta los procesos politicos. 


Sus posturas no gozan de la aprobacion de la mayoria de los congresistas democratas como indica la lista de votacion del HR 2499", añadió. "Resulta increible y hasta bochornoso ver como algunos líderes en el PPD hacen alianzas con sectores ultra conservadores en el Congreso y contratan cabilderos republicanos como Charlie Black quien fue co-director de campaña de John McCain, con el unico fin de perpetuar el regimen colonial en Puerto Rico; John y Bobby Kennedy se tienen que estar revolcando en la tumba,"ripostó el joven lider. 


"El padre fundador del Partido Democrata Thomas Jefferson profesaba la reduccion del poder central y el empoderamiento del pueblo a traves de la participacion directa. Negarle al pueblo puertorriqueno el derecho a decidir directamente en las urnas su futuro politico como facilita el proyecto de status local es traicionar los principios de desarrollados por el fundador de nuestro glorioso Partido Demócrata", anadiò Arroyo. "Parece que a algunos se les olvidó que este es el "party of the people" , el partido del pueblo; dejemos que el pueblo decida directamente" finalizó. 


Arroyo radicó el jueves pasado una ponencia a favor del Proyecto de la camara 3648 que facilitaria dos plebiscitos en el 2012. La National Committeewoman de la Juventud Democrata Melissa Marzan quien es estadolibrista, radicó una ponencia en rechazo al proceso. Ambas ponencias están disponibles al publico y pueden ser accesadas en la Oficina de Trámites y Récord de la Camara de Representantes.

LOS JOVENES Y LA REVOLUCION DEL MACONDO BORICUA - PUBLICADO EL 22/10/11 EN EL PERIODICO EL VOCERO

Por Ema Marrero Negrón

El gobernador anuncio en estos días que se llevara a cabo un plebiscito en el 2012, lejos de analizar si es una idea absurda o genial, es lo que se necesita y lo hizo. Por lo que me corresponde hacer un llamado a mi generación. De antemano sé que no haría un llamado a los políticos que perpetúan la porquería de sistema político que ostenta este territorio estadunidense en el caribe. No se trata de hacer campanas político partidistas y “treparse” en la publicidad del proceso del plebiscito.

Sin embargo sé que precisamente es lo que harán muchos “líderes”, porque sencillamente no les interesa saber del macro y viven en un insularismo eterno, lacerando y corrompiendo el sistema con su falta de compromiso y conocimiento. En pleno siglo 21, con los adelantos tecnológicos y en medio de la globalización no necesitamos tomar armas y crear una guerra, suficiente con la de los narcos; pues tenemos derechos que fueron luchados y adquiridos, tenemos un sistema democrático que promueve la participacion. Hay desistir del papel de “pueblo borrego”. Es hora de una revolución intelectual de la juventud.

Usemos las herramientas pertinentes y digamos: “PRESENTE” en el proceso. A fin de cuentas los que están hoy en el poder, no son eternos y en algún momento le tocara a nuestra generación dirigir el país. Elijamos pues, cómo será el sistema político que nos tocara trabajar. Lo que tenemos hoy no se debe nombrar gobierno, es un círculo vicioso y pecaríamos por tener conocimiento y hacernos de la vista larga como las generaciones anteriores.

 Soy una joven como tú, cansada de la realidad de este 100x35 y lo peor de todo, COLONIZADA. Puede que el mensaje no sea diferente al de Albizu, Barbosa, Ferre, mi abuelo, tu papa, tu profesor universitario en fin, todo aquel ciudadano consciente de que necesitamos resolver la ecuación para poder obtener un mejor resultado. Mas no me quedare sentada en el falso “comfort” que me brinde un sillón, viendo como Puerto Rico se estanca en el dinamismo mundial y como los políticos que defienden el ELA deberían redactar libretos para películas de Disney. Somos una sociedad y es tarea de todos aportar al cambio. No es cuestión de seguir pronunciando discursos trillados, es cuestión de retarte a que tomes la iniciativa y participes del proceso para ponerle fin a la colonia.

De la única manera que se justifica tu inacción es que tienes miedo de trabajar por tu pueblo. Exijamos la Igualdad mediante la Estadidad o la Independencia, cualquiera que sea tu ideología anti colonial defiéndela y hazte sentir.

Cincuenta por ciento más uno

Por Kenneth D. McClintock Hernández

 El Presidente Barack Obama expresó esta semana que una mayoría absoluta mínima de cincuenta por ciento más un voto del electorado puertorriqueño podría no ser suficiente para aprobar un cambio en la relación política con Puerto Rico. Como es de esperarse, sus expresiones, no producto de un discurso escrito detalladamente elaborado, sino de una contestación impromptu en un período libre de preguntas y respuestas, han levantado un avispero, quizás mayor de lo que él pudiera haberse imaginado.

 En el día de ayer ofrecí la siguiente reacción escrita a un medio que me preguntó sobre esas expresiones del Presidente, las cuales entiendo pero no necesariamente comparto en todos sus detalles:

 "Hay estados, como Nebraska, en que una mera pluralidad fue suficiente para ser admitido y otros, como West Virginia, en que ni tan siquiera se pidió la admisión. Personalmente creo que una mayoría en contra del status quo o a favor de una fórmula de cambio será suficiente, no para cambiar de inmediato nuestra relación presente pero sí para iniciar el proceso de negociación legislativa que conduzca a esa descolonización. 

 A Illinois le tomó solo once meses, pero a Nuevo México 65 años obtener la admisión una vez solicitada, por lo que el proceso no necesariamente será rápido. 

 Mi exhortación a los que, como yo, quieren librar a Puerto Rico de los enormes costos del coloniaje y ser admitido como estado federado de nuestra nación, es que emprendamos la tarea de ganar ambas preguntas de la papeleta plebiscitaria por el mayor margen posible de manera que el nuevo Congreso en el 2013 tenga que enfrentarse a un nuevo paradigma de status de un pueblo que contundentemente le haya retirado a los Estados Unidos cualquier reclamo de "consentimiento de los gobernados" que legitime la relación territorial/colonial actual y una petición mayoritaria para iniciar la negociación de una Ley de Admisión que no cobre vigencia hasta ser ratificada por el pueblo. 

 Como ha dicho el gobernador Luis Fortuño al discrepar de las palabras de Obama, hay 37 ejemplos de que todo territorio que quería entrar a la Unión lo logró, no importa cuan grande o pequeña fuera la mayoría inicial que dio inicio al proceso de admisión---y Luis Fortuño ha estudiado mucho más los procesos de admisión que Barack Obama. 

 No dejemos que la opinión del actual Presidente, o cualquiera de sus potenciales contrincantes, nos divida o nos provea una excusa para la inacción, sino que nos inspire a la acción plebiscitaria que torne el escenario que él plantea irrelevante. A un año o menos de una consulta plebiscitaria, ¡construyamos, no con excusas sino con educación y trabajo ideológico, esas mayorías contundentes, en contra del status quo, y a favor de la Estadidad Federada, que obliguen a la Presidencia y al Congreso a actuar a partir del 2013!"

 A medida que se caliente la campaña electoral presidencial, gubernatorial y plebiscitaria del 2012, los líderes pepedés ( a quienes les aterra la posibilidad de que los electores puertorriqueños se expresen directamente sobre su futuro) tratarán de agarrarse hasta de un clavo caliente, sean con expresiones como la del Presidente, posturas de sus potenciales contrincantes republicanos, palabras de un congresista, un senador, un libro o un informe congresional, para lograr uno o varios objetivos. Entre estos, tratar de dividir a los Estadistas, desanimar a los Estadistas, restarle credibilidad a los Estadistas, o varias o todas las anteriores.

 La realidad es que en apenas un año o menos, los Estadistas tenemos la oportunidad de relegar a la irrelevancia el escenario plebiscitario que plantea el Presidente Obama---que una fórmula de status gane con una mayoría absoluta mínima de poco más del 50% de los votos. Un resultado sólido a favor del cambio, en contra de la relación actual, en la primera pregunta de la papeleta plebiscitaria le negaría a los Estados Unidos la cómoda postura de reclamar que la mayoría de los gobernados ha consentido a la relación actual, postura que ha justificado su inacción en el Congreso (no así en las Casa Blancas de Bush, Clinton, Bush y Obama) y en las Naciones Unidas. De igual forma, un apoyo mayoritario por encima del 50 por ciento a la Estadidad Federada podrá no ser suficiente para que se nos conceda automáticamente, pero sería suficiene para obligar al Gobierno Federal a iniciar el proceso de negociar una Ley Habilitadora que, una vez ratificada por el pueblo de Puerto Rico de la manera que el Congreso disponga, conduzca a nuestra admisión.

 Sin embargo, para que ese escenario se dé, tenemos que aprovechar cada día, cada hora, cada minuto libre que dispongamos para educar, aclarar dudas, motivar a los puertorriqueños que han visto la Estadidad como una opción a largo plazo que lo largo se hizo corto y que el momento es ya, para construir una mayoría contundente, en la primera pregunta de la papeleta a favor del cambio y en contra del status quo, y en la segunda pregunta a favor de la Estadidad.

 Como Adán y Eva, los estadistas tenemos que evadir las tentaciones que como manzana en el paraíso nos ofrecen los líderes pepedés...la tentación de no hacer campaña ideológica hasta tanto se apruebe un proyecto plebiscitario... la tentación de dejar que los líderes pepedés nos motiven a la inacción por lo que diga a deje de decir Obama, o Perry, o Romney, o Christie, o Palin... la tentación de echar a un lado la educación ideológica para enfocarnos exclusivamente en las peleas primaristas... o la tentación de dejar que nuestras funciones oficiales de gobierno monopolicen todo el tiempo libre que deberíamos dedicar a asuntos plebiscitarios.

 Obama expresa una opinión, con la que no necesariamente todos estemos de acuerdo y que otros, como papagallos repiten, sobre un escenario específico en que una opción plebiscitaria gane por apenas el 50%. Elevemos ese resultado lo más alto por encima del 50% (como logró Pierluisi crear una supermayoría en la Cámara a favor del HR2499) con nuestro esfuerzo unido de campaña plebiscitaria y haremos innecesario experimentar si tenía o no razón el Presidente.

 Me recuerda Phillip Arroyo, mi experto en asuntos congresionales y federales en la oficina y presidente del capítulo boricua de Young Democrats of America que, al considerarse el proyecto Pierluisi en la Comisión de Recursos, el congresista republicano Jason Chaffetz propuso una enmienda para requerir más del 50% más uno de mayoría para que una opción prevaleciera y fue derrotada ampliamente en comisión.

Postal Convention Welcoming Remarks

NAPUS Welcoming Remarks

by Kenneth D. McClintock

San Juan, Puerto Rico

August 12, 2011

On behalf of Governor Luis Fortuño, I am honored to welcome you to Puerto Rico. ¡Bienvenidos a las Islas del Encanto!  Welcome to the islands of enchantment!

Even though he cannot be here this morning, since he’s devoting all of this week to visits and meetings in eastern Puerto Rico, Governor Fortuño wanted to express to you his appreciation for choosing our Islands to hold this important gathering of postmasters.

I would like give special thanks to Robert Rapoza, NAPUS’ National President, as well as its Executive Board, for allowing us the opportunity to welcome you and, most importantly, to be your hosts.

Leaving all pretense of modesty aside, NAPUS could not have chosen a better place to hold its National Convention.

…and I am not referring necessarily to the fact that Puerto Rico is a beautiful tropical island destination —which I am sure that those of you coming from more temperate latitudes are particularly enjoying…

…but to Puerto Rico’s political, geographical and cultural attributes. Located at the crossroads of the Americas, and with bilingual and bicultural U.S. citizens, Puerto Rico is not only where the United States and Latin America meet but also where the United States becomes a Caribbean nation.

Puerto Rico has been a territory of the United States since 1898 and, together with the 50 States of the Union and the District of Columbia, comprises the Customs Area of the United States —the only U.S. territory having this attribute.

And yet many are not aware of this crucial asset… Puerto Rico’s potential as a trade hub of the Americas is virtually untapped because Puerto Rico is largely unknown and often misunderstood —incorrectly perceived as a Caribbean nation with a special relationship with the United States of obscure characteristics from a political standpoint having unclear implications in terms of trade and investment.

Not so the U.S. Postal Service… which clearly recognizes and treats Puerto Rico as a part of the United States.

Not surprisingly, the U.S. Postal Service has been to many citizens, regardless of where they are situated across this vast country of ours, the most visible symbol of national unity. I even venture to say that the political union and common market that America is today, would not have been possible without the U.S. Postal Service.

So important the U.S. Postal Service has been to the purpose and objectives of the federal government that until 1970 it was the Post Office Department and the U.S. Postmaster General was a member of the Cabinet.

Despite criticism from competitors and political ideologues who want to put an end to it, the Nation still needs the U.S. Postal Service today as a function of the federal government… and Americans wants to keep it that way.

According to a recent Rasmussen poll, sixty-four percent (64%) rate its performance as good or excellent and just 11% say the Postal Service is doing a poor job. Moreover, seventy-seven percent (77%) think it is at least somewhat likely that there will still be a need for the Postal Service in 10 years. Compare that to the President’s 46% approval rating and to Congress’ dismal 12%!

It is true that the U.S. Postal Service has been facing declining revenues and increasing costs —and so has the federal government— but no one has seriously proposed to do away with the federal government because it has been running a budget deficit every year since 1969, except at the end of President Clinton’s second term.

The administration of Governor Fortuño recognizes the value of the U.S. Postal Service to the residents of Puerto Rico. Our party platform pledges to collaborate with the U.S. Postal Service in the standardization of postal addresses, among other issues.

Not only has the U.S. Postal Service been a part of the history of Puerto Rico, it has also documented the history of our Islands through postage stamps and pictorial cancellations. In 1937 a stamp was dedicated to La Fortaleza, the oldest executive office mansion in the United States… in 1949, to the first gubernatorial election of Puerto Rico… to the 450th anniversary of the founding of San Juan in 1971… and the 500th Anniversary of Columbus' Landing in Puerto Rico in 1993.

Important figures in Puerto Rico’s history such as Major League Baseball Hall of Famer Roberto Clemente, Governor Luis Munoz Marín, musician Tito Puente, and poet Julia De Burgos have graced the postage stamps of the United States.  In a few weeks, you’ll be honoring our most prolific composer, Rafael Hernández.

And just last month I had the honor of witnessing, together with Congressman Pedro Pierluisi, the first day of issue of the flag of Puerto Rico stamp that is a part of our Flags of Our Nation collection.

No jurisdiction of the United States understands better than Puerto Rico the vital role that the U.S. Postal Service plays as an engine of the national economy and as a facilitator of America’s unity.

I wish you success in your meetings as you continue discussing how to meet the tough issues ahead.

Thank you for being here, in the Islands of Enchantment. 

Vice President Biden's 9-11 remarks at Shanksville, PA

REMARKS BY VICE PRESIDENT JOSEPH BIDEN AT DEDICATION OF FLIGHT 93 MEMORIAL Shanksville, Pennsylvania 2:25 P.M. EDT THE VICE PRESIDENT: Ladies and gentlemen, my fellow Americans, I’m honored to be standing here today, standing with two former Presidents. President Clinton, as he said, the passengers on Flight 93 knew that our common humanity is what united us most. Well, Mr. President, the same can be said of you. You spent your time as President, and the years since, deeply committed to embracing and strengthening our common humanity. (Applause.) And, Mr. President, we all thank you for what you’ve done and what you continue to do. Let me also recognize a man responsible for bringing our country together at a time when it could have been torn apart, for making it clear that America could not be brought to her knees, and helping us stand tall and strike back -- President George W. Bush. (Applause.) In the darkest hour of our generation, your voice and leadership, Mr. President, helped us find our way. And for that, you deserve our gratitude for a long, long time. (Applause.) And I say now to the families that are gathered here today, I know what it’s like to receive that call out of the blue, like a bolt out of the blue. And I know this is a bittersweet moment for you. And I want to tell you, you have a lot more courage than I had. You have a lot more courage just by being here today, because I know, and many others know, how hard it is to relive these moments, because it brings everything back in stark, stark relief and stark detail. But I also know, like your loved ones, what you probably don’t know, that you are literally an inspiration to the thousands of people across this country who right now are feeling the loss of an intense tragedy that they’re suffering. They know, looking at you, watching you on television today, that there’s hope to be found after tragedy, that there’s rebirth in the face of death. You, in a sense, are as courageous as your family members were. And we owe you all for being here today, just the act of being here. (Applause.) We’re here today to remember and honor 40 men and women who gave their lives so others could live theirs -- decent, honorable women and men who never imagined 10 years ago tomorrow that when they said goodbye to their children, when they kissed their loved ones goodbye and walked through that door, that they were doing it for the very last time. They didn’t know the horror that awaited them, but they confronted unimaginable fear and terror with a courage that has been summoned only by the truest and the rarest of American heroes -- 40 names etched on each of those panels on the wall, the Wall of Names. But, more than that, their names are going to be, as President Bush said, etched forever into American history. They join an incredibly elite list of women and men, and a long history filled with ordinary Americans doing extraordinary things -- men and women of undaunted courage, uncommon resolve, and a stubborn perseverance in the face of unfathomable challenge. We teach our children that these are qualities ingrained into our national character as Americans. And I believe they are. They animate our national identity. And I believe they will continue to define America, because of the example of the men and women who we pay tribute today, the passengers and the crew of Flight 93. None of them asked for what happened. They didn’t go on that plane -- they didn’t board that plane to fight a war. But when they heard the news, when they found out what happened in New York, they knew that they were going through, it was something more than a hijacking. They knew it was the opening shot in a new war. And so, they acted. They acted as citizen patriots have acted since the beginning of our country. They stood up and they stood their ground. They thought, like Captain Parker said at Lexington, and I quote him, “If they mean to have a war, let it begin here.” As many times as I recall, and all of you who are not family members like me, have recalled this incident time and again over the last 10 years, I never fail to be astonished, literally astonished by the courage they demonstrated. And so, we stand where it began. We think of them. We think of our nation. We think of our history and we think of the future. And we think of it, because of them, with a confidence knowing that ordinary citizens will continue to stare down fear, overwhelm evil, and bring forth hope from what seems to be none. And although it will continue to amaze us and inspire us when it happens, it should not surprise us. For that heroism is who we are. And that courage lies deepest and beats loudest in the heart of this nation. We know that these 40 men and women were more than ordinary Americans to all of you sitting in front of me. They were more than passengers and crews. They were already heroes. They were already heroes to you. They were the father that tucked you in bed at night. They were the wife who knew your fears before you even expressed them. They were the brother who lifted you up. They were the daughter who made you laugh. They were the son who made you proud. They are irreplaceable. I know that. We know that. And we know, and I know, that no memorial -- no words, no acts -- can fill the void that they left in your hearts. My prayer for you is that 10 years later, their memory is able to bring a smile to your lips before it brings a tear to your eye. And I hope you take comfort in knowing that a grateful nation understands that your loved ones gave their lives in pursuit of the noblest of earthly goals: defending their country, defending their families, sacrificing their lives so we could live ours. Those of us who were in Washington that day, without knowing it for sure at the time, now know we owe them an overwhelming special, personal debt of gratitude. The collective spirit of your mother, your father, your brother, your husband, your wife, your sister, your best friend -- that spirit lives on not only in you, but in your country. It lives on in the Cross of Steel made from the World Trade Center beams, placed on a Pentagon-shaped platform that rests proudly outside the Shanksville Volunteer Fire Department. (Applause.) That Cross of Steel is an enduring symbol of the steel and the spine of this region, and the spine of this country. And it definitely lives on in a new generation of warriors -- the 9/11 Generation, inspired by what happened here, 2.8 million young Americans since 9/11, that 9/11 generation, have joined the United States Armed Forces -- thousands giving their lives and tens of thousands being wounded to finish the war that began right here. Maya Angelou wrote, and I quote, “History, despite its wrenching pain, cannot be unlived. However, if faced with courage, need not be lived again.” Ladies and gentlemen -- we are not here to unlive history. We are here to honor those whose courage made history and is going to inspire generations of Americans to come. So, I say to you, even as we struggle with this tragedy, even as we grapple with the profound loss and devastating grief, we can look up at the heavens and think of these heroes and know, know with certitude that there is not a single, solitary tragedy that America cannot overcome. There is not a single moment of hardship that cannot be transformed into one of national strength. The seeds of doubt, planted by those who wish to harm us, will instead grow into flowering meadows like this one where we stand in today, for they cannot defeat the American spirit. We know this with certainty. We know it with certainty, because it’s the history of the journey of this country at every stage of our history. (Applause.) As President Clinton knows, my mother used to say, “Courage lies in every heart.” And she would go on to say, “And the expectation is that, Joey, one day it will be summoned.” “Courage lies in every heart, and one day it will be summoned.” On September 11, 2001, at 9:57 a.m., it was summoned and 40 incredible men and women answered the call. They gave their lives and, in doing so, gave this country a new life. We owe them. We owe you a debt we can never repay. Thank you all. Thank you, family members. And may God bless you. And may God protect our troops. (Applause.) END 2:40 P.M. EDT

Transcript: NPR "All Things Considered" Interview on DoJ report on PR Police

ROBERT SIEGEL, host: The Puerto Rico Police Department has 17,000 officers. That makes it the second biggest force in the US behind New York City, but it's also one of the most troubled. After a three year investigation, the Justice Department has found that Puerto Rico police routinely violate people's civil rights by beating suspects and planting evidence. NPR's Carrie Johnson has that story. CARRIE JOHNSON: Justice Department investigators who have been digging into problems with the police force in Puerto Rico say they hardly know where to begin. Tom Perez leads the Civil Rights Division. THOMAS PEREZ: The breadth and depth of challenges confronting this department is very, very wide. The department has just about every problem in the book. JOHNSON: Investigators made three major findings. First, police in Puerto Rico use unreasonable force to arrest people, many of whom put up no resistance. Second, Perez says... PEREZ: Officers all too frequently plant evidence during searches, rely on excessive force and intimidation as search aids and proceed with searches, even when knowing that the address or identity of the individual or some other pertinent information is simply incorrect. JOHNSON: Finally, police on the island often violate the First Amendment rights of protestors, beating demonstrators with batons and spraying chemicals on crowds. There are a lot of factors that contribute to the problem. Violent crime rates are soaring. Seven hundred eighty-six murders so far this year, most authorities say because of drug trafficking. Jennifer Turner of the American Civil Liberties Union has visited the island several times to look into police brutality. All too often, she says, that's a law enforcement strategy. JENNIFER TURNER: The Department of Justice investigation said they interviewed one police officer who distressingly said that the way that they can combat the murder rate is by showing force and going into public housing projects and low income communities and beating people up. JOHNSON: Federal authorities say the police force doesn't have enough training, no guidelines for when police can use their weapons, none of supervision and little or no response to complaints. Again, Jennifer Turner. TURNER: The police department is not interested in reform. JOHNSON: Kenneth McClintock is the Secretary of State in Puerto Rico. He begs to differ. McClintock says the government's working with limited resources, but he says it's already made some important changes. KENNETH MCCLINTOCK: Hiring people with more education, improving the police academy education that they receive, improving the supervision that they receive, have better reporting of incidents within the police department. JOHNSON: Attorney General Eric Holder speaking to NPR's TELL ME MORE says the department may have to rebuild from the ground up. ERIC HOLDER: So it's going to involve, I think, a lot of work that we are prepared to do and we hope we'll have the cooperation of the local authorities in Puerto Rico. JOHNSON: Holder says the Justice Department is prepared to sue and get a judge involved if they can't reach an agreement any other way. Carrie Johnson, NPR News, Washington.