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Este informe no está disponible en español. U.S. Behavior In Vieques A DisgracePolls, Not Protests, Are Forum For ViequesU.S. Behavior In Vieques A Disgrace July 7, 2000 In an article about Vieques bombings by the U.S. military, the reporter states that the United States "owns" the little island. The word "owns" suggests legitimate purchase or other legal accommodation, like a treaty. Actually, the island was illegally stolen for the purpose of testing and marketing U.S. weaponry after WW II. Since then, U.S. military operations have polluted and contaminated a large section of the tiny tropical home of viequenses with uranium-tipped bombs, left unexploded ordinance, and continued to rent it out to other countries for war games with live ammunition. Soil, groundwater and ocean contamination has resulted in many serious health problems for residents. High rates of cancer, neurological disorders and birth defects are the responsibility of those corporations that profit from the sale of U.S. weaponry and the U.S. government that secures the island for the purpose of selling and testing this weaponry. Blessings on those brave people who risk their own health, safety and freedom to challenge the almighty U.S. government and immune multinational corporations. President Clinton should follow Hillary Clinton's advice and cease all military activity on and around Vieques . In peacetime, this attack on Puerto Rico is disgraceful; shame on us. JOELEN MULVANEY, Fort Lauderdale Polls, Not Protests, Are Forum For Vieques LETTERS TO THE EDITOR -- THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT July 5, 2000 For years the Navy has been shelling the small island of Vieques for live fire practice to support ground troop exercises. And for years the people of Puerto Rico have been trying to make the Navy stop. I'm a native of Utuado, Puerto Rico , and served in the Navy for over 31 years. I also was stationed at Roosevelt Roads Naval Base, where I worked at surface ops and targets, supporting the Vieques range. I believe many of us, including myself, are alive today because of the operations conducted there. It provided us with the experience to return alive from combat in the Persian Gulf, Grenada, Panama, Nicaragua, Bosnia and Somalia. Vieques is the ideal location for these exercises. "Yankee go home" seems to be what all on the island are saying. But we have been saying this for years and at the same time relying on Uncle Sam's dollars. Civil disobedience in Vieques is not the answer. The time has come to either show what we want at the polls or stop the farce we have been living for more than 100 years. We can't have it both ways. Edgardo Abreu-Arocho, Virginia Beach
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