Things Gringos Do Not Know About Puerto Rico #3

Remember the Vietnam/American War?

" Proportionately Puerto Rico sent more soldiers (65000) than any other state in the US without even being considered a US state."

Break The Law and the Rest Will Follow

Is it possible to be radical and law abiding? I suspect that is inevitable to fight for change and freedom for all without getting involved in criminal activity. Obedience does not seem to be the virtue of radicals I encounter. Marilyn Buck, Nat Turner, Blanca Canals, Harriet Tubman, Lolita Lebron, Nelson Mandela and Chelsea Manning are a few examples of revered outlaws. Are they revered for their crimes or are were they made criminals for their resistance to a capitalist imperialist system? Does taking a stand for what is right meant risking imprisonment and death? Is the fear of death and imprisonment a sentence in itself? Are we preemptively punished by this system?

Considering that even as adults, people still ask for permission to use the washroom I suspect obedience is taught and conditioned. If that is the case, how does one unlearn obedience? Can one start with petty crimes such as jaywalking or loitering? Does shoplifting and illegal camping inoculate a person from the fear of the law?

The study of both capitalism and systematic oppression can liberate the mind, but does it teach us to defiance? Do we dare to act on out new knowledge or do we just know and discuss the new information? What made Harriet Tubman go back for other slaves, what drove her to escape? Where did Lolita Lebron find the nerve to step into congress and challenge the US government with a revolver? Why did Han Solo stick around to fight the Empire?

Things Gringos Do Not Know About Puerto Rico #2

2. In October 1950,Blanca Canales, a school teacher and member of the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party, led a revolt that held the town of Jayuya for three days. This is known as the Jayuya Uprising. The American imperials responded by bombing the town. Although there was great devastation, the news of the event was contained in Puerto RIco by the US government.

In retribution, Oscar Collazo and Griselio Torresola, attempted to assassinate, then president, Truman. Griselio died in the operation and Oscar was captured and arrested, but not without eliminating few imperialist guards.

Mighty Modern Martial Races

A practice of colonialism and crafty players of the Sid Meier's Civ series, is to turn their conquered subjects into conquerors in service of the empire. Maybe the Europeans borrowed a few things from King Xerxes.  This may have served a few purposes.

1. It would be less expensive to raise and supply a local army then deploy a regular unit.
2. Training a local force would also help assimilate the local civilians.
3. Less European lives would have to be sacrificed to force expansion of the empire.
4. With less Europeans dead then the people of color in every conflict, the European appears invincible.( Much like how the costly victory of the USSR in St, Petersburg facilitated the victory of the , late to enter, Americans.)

The British would refer to some of their subjects as martial races. “Races” of men, of course, that had the the desire and build for warfare. many of these were groups of people that had remained loyal during some of the rebellions in India.

I was wondering if we still see that today? Are places like Guam, Samoa, Puerto Rico, and the USVI valuable resources for military recruitment? Could we even say that the Yishuv Jews are being treated as martial race to protect European imperial capitalist access to the Suez canal and the rest of the middle east. I probably know more about Israeli Defense Forces than I do about Judaism. I see a lot more of it in pop culture and conversations with Europeans. You tell me. What do you think?

Things Gringos do not know about Puerto Rico #1

1. 

   There were people there long before the Europeans arrived. They were called Tainos and contrary to popular belief, they are not extinct. They called the island Boriken. They were friendly and hospitable to the European arrivals. So of course, the Europeans enslaved them and forced them to work in old mines and build forts. Those that survived eventually left after the 1511 revolt.A friar named Casa was outraged by the treatment of the Tainos and demanded change. He suggested that the Europeans used Africans instead. There had been a number of revolts. More than twenty of the major revolts took place between 1527-1873. One of these revolts were led by a person Named Marcos Xiorro. The short of it is that a rumor was spread among the African captives that slavery had been abolished. I guess that taste of freedom then having it taken away again really took the piss out of some people, So Marcos and others led a rebellion. Marcos and two others were captured. There is no record of Xiorros fate but it is assumed he was executed. More than likely any survivors that escaped moved inland and linked up with other escapees and Taino holdouts.