by B. R. GOWANI
PHOTO/Reuters/Jonathan Ernst/Quartz
PHOTO/Quartz
history
humans have lived for at least four thousand years
on the island we now call Puerto Rico
Tainos called it Boriken
they were there for hundreds of years
and encountered Christopher Columbus in November 1493
European lust for land and greed for gold
brought them in hordes to the New World
they also brought smallpox, influenza, measles, and typhus
Catholic King, in the name of Pope, imposed Christianity
Spanish enslaved the Tainos and coerced them to slave labor
Spanish conquistadors raped the Taino women
Mestizos were the offspring
enslavement and diseases reduced Tainos to almost nil
Boriken was renamed Puerto Rico – Rich Port
it was almost emptied of gold by 1540
to work on the sugarcane plantations
Africans were brought as slaves
in 1898, Puerto Rico came under US control
as a result of the Spanish–American War
Puerto Rico is neither an independent country
nor is Puerto Rico a state of the United States
that means it has no representation in the US Congress
US calls this Caribbean island an “unincorporated US territory”
which in fact is a colony of the greatest imperial power
Rich Port is under a debt of $72 billion
the creditors don’t want to write off the debt
but want to give her more loans
(the usual ploy, in order to continue interest income
private capital is a major force to in-debt nations/business)
Maria
Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico on September 20, 2017
30″ of rain in 24 hours
150+ mph winds
devastation and destruction
85% of the island’s 1,600 cell towers don’t work,
neither do the vast majority of internet and telephone lines
it is now 2 weeks since the catastrophe
90% Puerto Ricans are still without electricity
and 46% of them have no drinking water
as of October 5, 2017 morn
the FEMA web page has stopped showing the above info
some towns have lost 80 to 90% of their structures
they have 112 degree weather
then on October 3, the Great Baffoon hit Puerto Rico
capital city San Juan, surrounded by chosen people
Trump opened his oral member:
“I hate to tell you Puerto Rico,
but you’ve thrown our budget a little out of whack.”
“Because we’ve spent a lot of money on Puerto Rico and that’s fine,
we’ve saved a lot of lives.”
same day, Trump told the Fox News:
“We’re going to have to wipe that [debt] out.”
but the director of the White House budget office
Mick Mulvaney was quick to over-ride Trump:
Nasty
even before his Puerto Rico visit
he had called the Mayor of San Juan “nasty”
so Carmen Yulín Cruz wore a “nasty” t-shirt
and aptly described Trump:
“What is truly ‘nasty’ is to turn your back on the Puerto Rican people”
Paper Towels and Flashlights
in San Juan
this dotard threw rolls of paper towels at the people gathered
and also distributed and played around with flash lights
this racist/misogynist/communalist buffoon
it seems was born to cause pain and agony
his words or visits can’t convey solace
everything revolves around his ego
his behavior streaks of idiocy
B. R. Gowani can be reached at brgowani@hotmail.com