[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 5]
[House]
[Pages 6269-6270]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




 PUERTO RICANS--FIRST CLASS CITIZENS IN TIMES OF WAR, BUT SECOND CLASS 
                       CITIZENS IN TIMES OF PEACE

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 19, 1999, the gentleman from Puerto Rico (Mr. Romero-Barcelo) 
is recognized during morning hour debates for 5 minutes.
  Mr. ROMERO-BARCELO. Mr. Speaker, as we return to our offices from our 
2-week Easter recess, many important issues claim our immediate 
attention, not the least of which is the crisis in Kosovo. The matter 
is further complicated by our concerns about the three American 
soldiers being held prisoners by the Serbian government. Our prayers 
are with them and with their families at this critical period.
  Throughout our Nation's history it has been demonstrated that our 
commitment to democratic values and securing peace and stability 
throughout the world has in many instances required the mobilization of 
our armed forces for the common good. During this century, in our 
dedication to peace and harmony amongst all people, we have opposed the 
forces of genocide and the inhumanity and cruelty of those who aim to 
ethnically cleanse a population, and this time it is not any different. 
The NATO allies stand firmly behind the aim to secure peace in the 
Yugoslavia region.
  And now in this endeavor, just like we have in every other armed 
conflict throughout the century, the American citizens that reside in 
Puerto Rico stand shoulder-to-shoulder with their fellow American 
citizens from every other State, ready and willing to contribute in any 
way possible to the establishment of justice and freedom. Because we 
are proud to enjoy the freedoms that our Nation stands for, we have 
been willing to accept the responsibilities and sacrifices that are 
demanded. The discharge of this important trust is what patriotism is 
all about.
  Inherent in this quest for freedom is the belief in equality. Only as 
equals can we join in the common quest.

                              {time}  0945

  Our Nation's first elected leader, President George Washington, said 
it best when he wrote that ``the spirit of freedom beats too high in us 
to submit to slavery.''
  President Washington's message to the Senate and the House of 
Representatives of January 8, 1790, underscored this guiding belief in 
equality. He said, and I quote, ``The welfare of our country is the 
object to which our cares and efforts are to be directed. And I shall 
derive great satisfaction from a cooperation with you, in the pleasing 
though arduous task of ensuring to our fellow citizens the blessings 
which they have a right to expect from a free, efficient and equal 
government.''
  What is difficult to understand is how, despite our Nation's adoption 
of equality as one of the guiding principles of our democracy, we, the 
American citizens who reside in the territory of Puerto Rico, are not 
only denied the right to participate as equals

[[Page 6270]]

in the democratic process but also denied participation in the safety 
net programs that all other Americans enjoy in the 50 States. Despite 
our common vision throughout the century, despite the 197,000 Americans 
from Puerto Rico who have heard the call to defend democracy, and 
despite the thousands who willingly paid the price of patriotism and 
sacrificed their own lives, 4 million American citizens are denied the 
benefits that all others in the Nation take for granted.
  Senator Moynihan told us a decade ago that when people fight for a 
country, they get a claim on that country. His words ring as true today 
as they were then. We have been equals during times of war and death, 
and we aspire to be equals in time of peace, prosperity and in life.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to encourage my colleagues to remember at this 
critical time that separate and unequal policies that promote 
unfairness and discrimination have no place in our Nation. By virtue of 
living in a territory, American citizens are denied equality that is 
inherent in the American system of government. This denial betrays our 
democracy and the men and women who valiantly defend it.
  What is more, let us remember that even though our troops face danger 
equally, they are not all equal citizens because not all of them enjoy 
the same participation in the health and education programs that 
benefit all other Americans.
  Puerto Ricans are first-class citizens in times of war, but second-
class citizens in times of peace. That is un-American.

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