[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 28 (Thursday, February 16, 2017)]
[House]
[Pages H1248-H1249]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    DEBATE OVER PUERTO RICO'S FUTURE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Gutierrez) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. GUTIERREZ. Mr. Speaker, I will speak in Spanish to the people of 
Puerto Rico. The translation is at the desk.
  (English translation of the statement made in Spanish is as follows:)
  Mr. Speaker: I am going to speak Spanish, the language of Puerto 
Ricans because democracy demands transparency and clarity.
  The essence of the debate over Puerto Rico's future is the difference 
between assimilation, represented in the legislation proposed by 
Resident Commissioner Jenniffer Gonzalez (H.R. 260) and the legislation 
I have introduced (H.R. 900).
  I have never excluded statehood. The assimilationists have excluded 
independence and free association from their proposals.
  What my legislation does is simply add balance and corrects a 
disequilibrium.
  From now on, the debate is between the assimilationist leaders and 
the people, the Puertoricanists. Assimilation is not the only option 
before the Congress of the United States.
  My bill proposes free association and independence as options. This 
is what the Puertoricanists propose.
  What motivates us? The love of Puerto Rico and defending our 
heritage; believing that we can be self-sufficient; believing that we 
can determine our own future without masters; believing in ourselves. 
The Puertoricanists are convinced that we can create jobs in a strong 
and vibrant economy with people who are innovative, creative and 
completely capable of determining their own future.
  The assimilationist leaders think that we'll starve to death without 
the United States.
  The Puertoricanists do not arrest students when they lift their 
voices in defense of democracy. That is what the assimilationist 
leaders do.
  The Puertoricanists believe that first you pay the pensions of 
working people, while the assimilationists prefer to pay American 
bondholders on Wall Street.
  The Puertoricanists love and protect the land. The assimilationists 
want to destroy it by constructing pipelines.
  The Puertoricanists understand that democracy must flourish. The free 
expression of the people is sacred. Assimilationist leaders, when they 
don't like what they hear from the people, call in the riot squad.
  Assimilationist leaders haven't attacked what my legislation would 
do, they have attacked its proponents.
  Assimilationists want Members of Congress to only hear their version 
of the future. They are annoyed because this Member has brought before 
the Congress the other two options, which, in fact, are the options up 
for a plebiscite vote in Puerto Rico this year. In Puerto Rico, they 
want one reality and in the Congress they pretend there is another.
  No, with my bill we have balance, truth and transparency. This is 
democracy. In this Puertoricanists believe: debate, discussion, freedom 
of ideas. Assimilationist leaders throughout history have chased and 
jailed Puertoricanists, and when they did not jail them, they took them 
to Cerro Maravilla.
  Assimilationists say the Puertoricanists are anti-American. No, the 
Puertoricanists and anti-colonialists. They want for Puerto Rico the 
sovereignty enjoyed and celebrated in the United States. Yes, the 
Puertoricanists want the same thing the Americans have, to live in a 
free and sovereign nation where we determine our own destiny without 
masters.
  Puertoricanists see the sun and see the energy we can harvest; see 
the land and the food we can eat.
  Puertoricanists are motivated by love of country, love of our 
heritage and the understanding that we can be great, that we are 
intelligent and capable of innovation and creativity.
  From my infancy in exile in the United States I listened to the song 
``Preciosa'' and came to understand that the tyrant--the dark evil--is 
American colonialism. So said Rafael Hernandez, the singing conscience 
of my people.
  Puertoricanists longingly recall the song ``En mi Viejo San Juan (In 
my Old San Juan)'' where it says ``this strange nation,'' just as 
Puerto Ricans in the U.S. say ``this is not my land''--when they 
confront abuse, discrimination and racism. ``Puerto Rico is.''
  The Puerto Rican is his diaspora, from New York to Chicago, San Juan 
to Ponce, we are all Puerto Ricans. As our national poet, Juan Antonio 
Corretjer, wrote: ``I would be Puerto Rican even if I were born on the 
moon.'' To which I would add, with a great deal of respect, ``I would 
be Puerto Rican, even if I lived on the moon.''
  Senor presidente: Voy a hablar en espanol, el vernaculo de los 
puertorriquenos porque la democracia exige transparencia y claridad.
  La esencia del debate acerca del futuro de Puerto Rico es la 
diferencia entre el asimilismo, representado por el proyecto presentado 
por Jenniffer Gonzalez, y el que yo presente.
  Yo nunca he excluido la estadidad. Los asimilistas han excluido la 
independencia y la libre asociacion.
  Lo que hace mi proyecto es sencillamente traer balance, corregir un 
desequilibrio.
  De aqui en adelante, el debate es entre los lideres asimilistas y el 
pueblo, los puertorriquenistas. La asimilacion ya no es la unica opcion 
ante el Congreso.
  Mi proyecto propone la libre asociacion y la independencia. Eso es lo 
que proponen los puertorriquenistas.
  qQue nos motiva a los puertorriquenistas? El amor a Puerto Rico; 
defender su herencia; creen que podemos ser autosuficientes; creen que 
podemos determinar nuestro futuro sin tener amos; creen en si mismos. 
Estan convencidos que podemos crear empleos, con una economia fuerte y 
vibrante de un pueblo innovador, creativo, y totalmente capaz de 
determinar su propio futuro.
  Los lideres asimilistas piensan que nos morimos de hambre sin los 
Estados Unidos.
  Los puertorriquenistas no macanean a los estudiantes cuando levantan 
su voz en defensa de la democracia--eso lo hacen los lideres 
asimilistas.
  Los puertorriquenistas creen que primero hay que pagar las pensiones 
al pueblo mientras los asimilistas prefieren pagar los bonistas 
norteamericanos de Wall Street.
  Los puertorriquenistas aman y protegen su tierra. Los asimilistas 
quieren destruirla construyendo un gasoducto.
  Los puertorriquenistas entienden que la democracia debe florecer. La 
libre expresion del pueblo es sagrada. Los lideres asimilistas, cuando 
no les gusta lo que escuchan del pueblo, llaman a la fuerza de choque.
  Los lideres asimilistas no han atacado lo que propone mi proyecto. 
Ellos atacan al proponente.
  Los asimilistas quieren que los congresistas solamente escucharan su 
version del futuro. Estan molestos porque este congresista ha traido 
antes el Congreso las otras dos alternativas, que de hecho, se van a 
votar en el plebiscito de Puerto Rico. En Puerto Rico quieren una 
realidad, y los asimilistas en el Congreso quieren pretender que hay 
otra.
  No, con mi proyecto, aqui va a haber balance, verdad y transparencia: 
esa es la democracia, en eso creemos los puertorriquenistas--el debate, 
la discusion y la libertad de ideas. Los lideres asimilistas, a traves 
de la historia han perseguido y metido a los puertorriquenistas en la 
carcel, y si no en la carcel, los llevan hasta Cerro Maravilla.
  Los asimilistas dicen que los puertorriquenistas son antiamericanos. 
No y no. Los puertorriquenistas son

[[Page H1249]]

anticoloniales. Quieren para Puerto Rico la soberania que tienen y 
disfrutan los norteamericanos. eSi, asi es! Los puertorriquenistas 
quieren lo mismo que tienen los norteamericanos: vivir en una nacion 
libre y soberana donde ellos mismos dictan su futuro y no tienen amo.
  Los puertorriquenistas ven el sol y ven energia que podemos cosechar. 
Ven la tierra y ven alimentos que nos daran de comer.
  Los puertorriquenistas estan motivados por el amor a la patria y su 
herencia, y el conocimiento de que podemos ser grandes, que tenemos la 
inteligencia y la capacidad de innovar y crear.
  Desde mi infancia en el destierro en Estados Unidos escuche la 
cancion ``Preciosa'' y vine a entender que el tirano, la negra maldad 
es el colonialismo norteamericano. Lo dijo Rafael Hernandez, la 
conciencia cantada de mi pueblo.
  Los puertorriquenistas recuerdan con anoranza su patria ``En mi Viejo 
San Juan'' la cancion que dice ``. . . esa extrana nacion'', como 
decian los boricuas en Estado Unidos, ``esta no es mi tierra,'' cuando 
confrontaban el abuso, discriminacion y racismo. Puerto Rico lo es.
  El puertorriqueno es su diaspora de Nueva York a Chicago, de San Juan 
a Ponce, todos somos puertorriquenos. Como escribio nuestro poeta 
nacional, Juan Antonio Corretjer, ``Yo seria boricua aunque naciera en 
la luna''. Y, anado con todo el respeto, ``seria boricua aun si viviese 
en la luna''.
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The gentleman from Illinois will provide the 
Clerk a translation of his remarks.

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