[Congressional Record Volume 150, Number 57 (Thursday, April 29, 2004)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E709-E710]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
ON THE ONE-YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE U.S. NAVY'S DEPARTURE FROM VIEQUES,
PUERTO RICO
______
HON. ANIBAL ACEVEDO-VILA
of puerto rico
in the house of representatives
Thursday, April 29, 2004
Mr. ACEVEDO-VILA. Mr. Speaker, 1 rise today to commemorate the one-
year anniversary, this Saturday, May 1st, 2004, of the U.S. Navy's
departure from the island of Vieques, Puerto Rico.
Puerto Ricans have played a pivotal role in the national defense of
the United States. The people of Vieques, Puerto Rico, in particular,
bore over 60 years of bombing with everything from napalm to depleted
uranium. In the 1940's, about two-thirds of their land was occupied by
the U.S. Navy to make way for a bombing range on the eastern part of
the island and a weapons depot on the western part of the island.
The movement to get the U.S. Navy out of Vieques was in existence for
many years. But the tragic death of Viequense David Sanes Rodriguez on
April 19, 1999 as a result of two stray bombs dropped on the
Observation Post in Vieques, contributed to galvanize the movement
beyond partisan affiliations and political ideologies. That struggle
reached its fruition with the U.S. Navy's departure from Vieques on May
1, 2003. It is important to note that the Navy has recently indicated
that the replacement training scenario for the Atlantic Fleet is as
good if not better than the training conducted on Vieques. This
realization is well received by those who called for the cessation of
training on Vieques.
The victory in Vieques is a victory first and foremost of the
Viequenses. Yet it is also a victory of Puerto Ricans in the Island, in
the U.S., and of many non-Puerto Rican elected officials, civic,
community, labor and religious leaders and activists who participated
in the struggle, organized marches, rallies, and lobbying initiatives.
Many were arrested for peaceful civil disobedience in support for peace
in Vieques.
I am proud to say that many of my fellow Members of Congress
participated in this important initiative for peace in Vieques. For
instance, on March 8, 2001, 110 Members of Congress signed a letter to
President Bush calling for the immediate and permanent cessation of
military practices in Vieques.
Mr. Speaker, I would like to place the March 8, 2001, letter from
these 110 Members of Congress to President Bush into the Record at this
time. On behalf of the people of Puerto Rico, I thank these Members of
Congress for their support for peace in Vieques, and I urge them and my
other colleagues to join me in working towards finishing the
inconclusive agenda for the people of Vieques. The immediate task at
hand is ensuring the adequate, full and prompt clean up and
decontamination of the lands and surrounding waters of Vieques.
Although the Navy has left Vieques, much remains to be done before
the residents of Vieques have the peace and justice they deserve. When
the Navy left Vieques and transferred the lands on the eastern part of
Vieques to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service a year ago, the people of
Vieques finally were free of the bombings that so disrupted and
affected their peace, health, well-being and livelihood. That
achievement is a testament to the resilience and perseverance of the
Viequenses and their allies. That resilience and perseverance is now
needed to make sure that the lands are fully and promptly cleaned up
and decontaminated. The legacy of contamination and health crisis in
Vieques must end.
The Governor of Puerto Rico, Hon. Sila Calderon, has requested that
Vieques--and the island of Culebra--be included in the National
Priorities List under the Superfund law. That request is currently
under consideration by the Office of Management and Budget. Once the
relevant areas are designated for clean up and decontamination, the
necessary funds must be appropriated to make sure that the clean up and
decontamination is conducted fully and promptly. Unnecessary delays in
the clean up process and insufficient funding would only exacerbate the
health crisis suffered by Viequenses.
Mr. Speaker, as we commemorate the one-year anniversary of the Navy's
departure from the beautiful island of Vieques, we are proud of the
victory achieved by the Viequenses and their allies in a peaceful
struggle for peace and justice for the close to 10,000 residents of
Vieques. At the same time, we are mindful that the agenda for complete
peace and justice in Vieques is still inconclusive. We will continue to
work towards completing this agenda. I am counting on my colleagues'
support in doing so.
Congress of the United States,
Washington, DC, March 8, 2001.
Hon. George W. Bush,
President of the United States of America, The White House,
Washington, DC.
Dear Mr. President: For the last 60 years the U.S. Navy has
been conducting military operations in two-thirds of the
island of Vieques, Puerto Rico. From the beginning, such
operations have caused concern because of their consequences
on the people, the environment, and the economy. The tragic
death on April 19, 1999 of David Sanes-Rodriguez, a Vieques
resident, during a training exercise, brought to the
forefront of the Puerto Rican national and international
communities the health, environment, and the violation of
human and civil rights of the residents of that Island.
The People of Vieques have a mortality rate 40 percent
higher than that of Puerto Rico, a 27 percent higher risk of
dying from cancer, and a 70 percent higher risk of dying from
diabetes. At the same time, Vieques' natural resources and
environment have been seriously damaged by the continuous
bombing and shelling, which have left heavy toxic metals in
the environment. The island's economy has also been affected
because Vieques has not been able to develop to its full
potential as a direct result of the U.S. Navy's presence. In
sum, the situation of Vieques has become an issue of health,
environmental protection, and human and civil rights. In
spite of all of these concerns, the U.S. Navy is determined
to continue using Vieques for bombing exercises.
This issue has transcended political party and ideological
lines in Puerto Rico. Leaders from all sectors of society
agree that the bombing and shelling must end. At the same
time, in the United States, the Senate of the State of New
Jersey, led by. the Republicans, approved a resolution, by
unanimity, requesting the immediate cessation of the
bombings. Governor Donald DiFrancesco (R-NJ), and Governor
George Pataki (R-NY) have also stated their support for this
effort.
[[Page E710]]
Today, the vast majority of the Puerto Rican society favors
the immediate and permanent cessation of the bombings and
shellings. Past Presidents of the United States, under
similar circumstances, have ordered the immediate and
permanent cessation of military operations in other
locations. For instance, in 1975, President Gerald Ford, by
an Executive Order, terminated the use of the island of
Culebra for military purposes. Likewise, President George
Bush, on October 22, 1990, directed the Secretary of Defense
to discontinue the use of the island of Kaho'olawe for
bombing and target practice.
Your fellow Americans are seriously concerned about the
ailing health, the violation of human and civil rights of the
Viequenses, as well as the impact on their environment and
natural resources. Under the Constitution of the United
States, you have the authority to call for the immediate
cessation of the bombing and the shelling that are affecting
these rights. Therefore, the undersigned urge you to order an
immediate and permanent end of the bombing in Vieques.
Respectfully,
Anibal Acevedo Vila (D-PR), Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), Jose
Serrano (D-NY), Nydia Velazquez (D-NY), Ed Pastor (D-AZ),
Ruben Hinojosa (D-TX), George Miller (D-CA), Charles Rangel
(D-NY), Edolphus Towns (D-NY), Patsy Mink (D-HI), Neil
Abercrombie (D-HI), Bobby Rush (D-IL), Bob Menendez (D-NJ),
Edward Markey (D-MA), Hilda Solis (D-CA), Major Owens (D-NY),
Mike Honda (D-CA), Sam Farr (D-CA), Elliot Engel (D-NY),
Cynthia McKinney (D-GA), Carrie Meek (D-FL), Eva Clayton (D-
NC), Louis Slaughter (D-NY), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX), Nita
Lowey (D-NY), John Larson (D-CT), Juanita Millender-McDonald
(D-CA), Brad Carson (D-OK) Mark Udall (D-CO) Tom Udall (D-
NM), Grace Napolitano (D-CA), Charlie Gonzalez (D-TX), Donna
Christensen (D-Vl), Danny K. Davis (D-IL), Albert Wynn (D-
MD), Xavier Becerra (D-CA), Joe Baca (D-CA), Robert C. Scott
(D-VA), Ciro Rodriguez (D-TX), Anthony D. Weiner (D-NY),
Lucille Roybal-Allard (D-CA), Sanford D. Bishop Jr. (D-GA),
Gregory Meeks (D-NY), Stephanie Tubbs Jones (D-OH), Robert
Underwood (D-GU), Rod Blagojevich (D-IL), Sherrod Brown (D-
OH), Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Peter DeFazio (D-OR), Karen
McCarthy (D-MO), David Phelps (D-IL), Nick Rahall (D-WV), Eni
Faleomavaega (D-AS), Bill Pascrell (D-NJ), David Bonior (D-
MI), Howard Berman (D-CA), Bernard Sanders (I-VT), William
Jefferson (D-LA), Dale Kildee (D-MI), Sen. John Corzine (D-
NJ), Betty McCollum (D-MN), Jesse L. Jackson Jr. (D-IL), Bob
Filner (D-CA), William Lacy Clay (D-MO), Ted Strickland (D-
OH), Lane Evans (D-IL), Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), Robert Brady
(D-PA), Jim McDermott (D-WA), John Olver (D-MA), Lois Capps
(D-CA), Lynn Woolsey (D-CA), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Sen. Charles
Schumer (D-NY), Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY), Alcee L.
Hastings (D-FL), Melvin Watt (D-NC), Bennie Thompson (D-MS),
Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), James E. Clyburn (D-SC), James
McGovern (D-MA), Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), John Conyers Jr. (D-
MI), Martin Meehan (D-MA), Elijah Cummings (D-MD), Barney
Frank (D-MA), Jerry F. Costello (D-IL), Diana DeGette (D-CO),
Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY), Michael McNutty (D-NY), Joseph
Crowley (D-NY), Gene Green (D-TX), Carolyn Maloney (D-NY),
Earl Hilliard (D-AL), Maxine Waters (D-CA), James Oberstar
(D-MN), Janice Shakowsky (D-IL), Nick Lampson (D-TX), Bill
Delahunt (D-MA), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC), William
Lipinski (D-IL), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Thomas Allen (D-ME),
Carolyn Kilpatrick (D-MI), Maurice Hinchey (D-NY), John
LaFace (D-NY), Lynn Rivers (D-MI), Robert A. Borski (D-PA),
James A. Barcia (D-MI), Chaka Fattah (D-PA).
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