With so much focus on Obama’s recent immigration speech and it’s potential impact (or not) on the Latino vote, some Puerto Rican events have fallen off the radar. I think it’s important to draw attention to them remembering that during Obama’s original Presidential run, he courted Ricans hard.

113 years ago today the bombardment of San Juan, Puerto Rico happened, as part of the Spanish-American War, where the United States engaged in imperial battles to gain control over Caribbean nations. A few months later, on July 25th, US troops would invade Guanica and never leave.

I think it’s important to recognize how Puerto Rico was taken as a spoil of war especially in the context of the recent arrest of 65-year-old Norberto Gonzalez Claudio in Puerto Rico. Gonzalez Claudio, had been living underground ever since the 1983 armoured truck robbery of about $7 million in Connecticut that was attributed to the Macheteros, a pro-independence guerilla organization. You will read
Gonzalez-Claudio called a terrorist in many of the mainstream newspapers with no acknowledgement of the current colonial status of the island.

In other Puerto Rican history – 34 years ago today I was born.