| Submit your comments on this article |
| Home Front |
| U.S. Will Close Puerto Rico Naval Base |
| 2003-09-24 |
| EFL The United States will close its Roosevelt Roads Naval Station in eastern Puerto Rico within the next six months. Congress and President Bush are expected to sign off on the closure by the end of next week, said Anibal Acevado Vila, the U.S. territory’s nonvoting congressional delegate. The Pentagon did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment. "We don’t need to comment, we’ve said it already." The base’s closure comes after several years of protests against U.S. military exercises in Vieques, which ended with the Navy’s May 1 withdrawal from its bombing range on that tiny outlying island. Opponents said the bombing harmed the environment, the health of the island’s 9,100 residents and its sole industries of fishing and tourism. The Navy maintains the exercises never posed a health threat. Since 1999, more than 1,000 "We want defense spending slashed! We want military bases closed! except the one in my district; can you please leave that one alone? Ple-e-e-a-s-e> Roosevelt Roads, which began laying off some of its 6,300 employees in April, injects an estimated $300 million a year into the U.S. Caribbean territory’s economy. Acevado Vila, who is running for governor in 2004 from Calderon’s People’s Democratic Party, said the base’s closure would open opportunities for tourism and other investment. Turn it into a moment for left-liberal foot shooting and it’ll be an instant success! |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #14 Yank--you gotta be kidding me--if we let PR become a state--then why not a state in Mexico--you pick one! The liability on our welfare system will be the same! Cut them loose NOW VIVA Puerto Rico Libro!No more tax subsidies for US corps down there--and better yet no more in-migration |
| Posted by: Not Mike Moore 2003-9-25 12:20:44 AM |
| #13 Yank, Composed an opus that was quite long in response... and lost power on about paragraph 3. Here is a short summary of the lectrons that bit the dust: I made a Unitas Cruise around South America in maybe 1990 or so. This included operating with a bunch of different South American navies in the Carribean and beyond. My impression was that we used Rosey Roads as a host local for our un-ugly American activities in that area. There was one time when I remember having at least five American ships plus ships for six other South American navies at the pier in Roosevelt Roads. Unitas cruises weren't important to American naval readiness, but they were incredibly important diplomatically. My feeling is that the message we are trying to sent to Puerto Rico will appear those that live to the South of us as a very negative action. It kind of like when you flip your best friend the bird and then get in trouble with Mom because Mrs. Jones thought you were flipping her off. America looks very different from Columbia. Before I took this action, a smart President would be asking the Ambassador in each South American country how he thinks this will be percieved. I see a lot of problems brewing in South America and don't want to be hit on the flank whilewe are dealing with the Axis of Evil. Castro isn't on the axis but problably deserves honorable mention. He is pulling the strings on Chavez who is stirring the pot on the Columbian border. Roosevelt Roads has short legs to Venezuala. Also there is no interference with logistics in and out of Puerto Rico. Gitmo makes a nice prison. Panama is gone. Closing down Roosevelt Roads makes it look like we are pulling back out of the area, which may be a good message to all the countries down there except that bad guys. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2003-9-24 10:16:43 PM |
| #12 Spent a few weeks in Vieques in early 68 then did sub-ops on the U.S.S. Sea Lion out of Rosie Roads. Vieques had a little town called Isabella Segunda. The whole island is a dump. Good riddance. |
| Posted by: Sgt.DT 2003-9-24 6:56:18 PM |
| #11 Super Hose, Please explain. Removing a military base is hardly backing out of the Carribean. With Gitmo nearby this base is useless now that it cannot be used as a targetting range. |
| Posted by: Yank 2003-9-24 4:43:29 PM |
| #10 This is great. Let's back all the way out of the Carribean and let the place go while we concentrate of SW Asia. |
| Posted by: Super Hose 2003-9-24 3:35:25 PM |
| #9 Vaya con dios, muchachos!... and Al Sharpton says "hi"! |
| Posted by: tu3031 2003-9-24 2:56:56 PM |
| #8 I'd be happy to have Puerto Rico join the union as a state, remain a territory, or go independent. Its a wonderful display of American freedom when we allow territories to leave at will (unlike Chechyna, Tibet, Xinjiang, and a dozen other places I can think of.) |
| Posted by: Yank 2003-9-24 1:30:13 PM |
| #7 Independence for PR now! Don't let the door hit you on the way out! |
| Posted by: Greg 2003-9-24 1:19:46 PM |
| #6 Turn it into a moment for left-liberal foot shooting and it’ll be an instant success! I meant a monument, of course. |
| Posted by: Steve White 2003-9-24 10:48:54 AM |
| #5 >Turn it into a moment for left-liberal foot shooting and it’ll be an instant success! < Absolutely! |
| Posted by: g wiz 2003-9-24 9:51:01 AM |
| #4 Gotta look at it through the eyes of the leftists. They like to be cared for by government, so now they are getting unemployment checks. The other part of the equation, cutting Puerto Rico loose from the US, may someday come and then the US will not longer be obligated to support them. |
| Posted by: badanov 2003-9-24 7:50:05 AM |
| #3 It appears that Puerto Rico is about to be voted, ahem, off the island. |
| Posted by: Hiryu 2003-9-24 7:05:06 AM |
| #2 I spent a week on St. Croix about 20 years ago, and was impressed by how many subs we had involved in exercises off the island. Must be a great assignment for the sailors involved. I would suppose that Roosevelt Roads was involved in this activity. This is a bit reminiscent of the Philippines driving off the Subic Bay Naval base through outrageous rent demands (then looting the place bare). Its closure idn't help the local economy a bit, though the Navy did manage to considerably cut down on penicillin requisitions afterwards. If you took a poll, I think the locals would like the base to reopen. |
| Posted by: Polonius 2003-9-24 2:52:07 AM |
| #1 Excellent! Now, all that's left to do is cut Puerto Rico loose entirely and that will be that. Lesson: Be careful with your demands. You may get what you asked for, and maybe, a little bit more that you didn't count on. |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2003-9-24 2:12:30 AM |