Ah the politics of colonization. I shouldn’t be surprised that The Natural Resources Committee of Congress, a committee that deals with fisheries, wildlife, Native Americans and possessions of the U.S. (aka colonies), approved a proposal Wednesday that would let Puerto Ricans decide their island’s political status. What are Puerto Ricans and Indigenous people if not dehumanized things that need protecting and caretaking?

Voters would choose between keeping the island’s commonwealth status, adopted in 1952, or to opt for something different. In the latter case, a second plebiscite would let them decide whether they wanted statehood, independence or independence with a loose association to the United States.

The move is called the “Puerto Rico Democracy Act of 2009″ and it’s context, according to U.S. Rep. Nick J. Rahall, II, Chair, is based in language of benevolence and affirmed U.S. patriotism.

If our measure of success is today’s Puerto Rico, then I say Puerto Rico has done well by the United States. It is a showcase of democracy in the Caribbean. Having some of the highest voter turnout rates in our Nation, Puerto Rico shames many of our own States with its energy and enthusiasm in electing its leaders. Economically, it is a powerhouse in the Caribbean and considered a home away from home for many mainland Fortune 500 companies.

There is no mention of mass sterilizations, forced migrations, deprivation of language and land rights and the small matter of the vote. Instead what is hailed is how many Puerto Ricans have fought in wars for the United States. What isn’t mentioned is poverty, Federal spy programs, political assassinations or political prisoners.

With this history before us, I join those who say it is time for Congress to provide the people of Puerto Rico with an unambiguous path toward permanently resolving its political status that is consistent with the U.S. Constitution.

It is precisely this language that has caused many to want to disengage from this political process, allegedly based in rule of law, when the law has never been applied equally to Puerto Ricans on the island of Boriquen or Manhattan island.

Via / The Miami Herald