REAL WORLD EVENT DISCUSSIONS

Puerto Rico - U.S. Virgin Islands

POSTED BY: SHINYGOODGUY
UPDATED: Friday, August 4, 2023 10:08
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Monday, October 2, 2017 1:02 AM

OONJERAH


Tears of relief as aid starts to reach remote parts of Puerto Rico
http://abcnews.go.com/US/tears-relief-aid-reaches-remote-parts-puerto-
rico/story?id=50213633


Puerto Rico Is Getting a Surge of Aid, Governor Says
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/01/us/puerto-rico-ricardo-rossello-sto
rm-recovery.html


Slate Mag has published an article about "Why Donald Trump Doesn’t Care About Puerto Ricans."

My narrow view. I'd say: Our President only cares about Donald Trump.
He's that immature, to put it nicely.


... oooOO}{OOooo ...

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Monday, October 2, 2017 4:00 AM

6STRINGJOKER


Jesus Christ with the identity politics.

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Monday, October 2, 2017 6:40 AM

SECOND

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at https://www.mediafire.com/folder/1uwh75oa407q8/Firefly


Quote:

Originally posted by 6stringJoker:
So what you're really trying to say is that Trump is in a no-win situation and no matter what he did you'd have something to bitch about.

Tell me something I don't know.

I'm bitching because Trump can't imagine a better solution to Puerto Rico since he is already doing the very best. For a different example of Trump's lack of imagination making a situation worse:

Using Trump's nickname for North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong Un, and apparently warning again of a U.S. military response to its escalating nuclear threat, Trump advised, “Save your energy, Rex, we’ll do what has to be done.”

The tweets came the day after Tillerson, on a visit to Beijing, told reporters the administration had direct lines of communication with North Korea and was probing for a response. But Trump already described his very best solution: Fire and Fury the likes of which the World has never seen before.
www.cnn.com/2017/09/17/politics/nikki-haley-north-korea-un-cnntv/index
.html

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Monday, October 2, 2017 12:37 PM

6STRINGJOKER


He's calling Kim on his bluff. That's all it is... a bluff.

A lot of bad shit has been happening to America because we showed weakness and a willingness to negotiate with terrorists for a very, very long time.

Rocketman is shitting his pants right now.


Sorry that you don't like what's going on, but you're not the only opinion in America. I think a lot of people have had it and are happy with that current situation.


Let's talk about Puerto Rico. Stop trying to change the subject.


Is there anything that Trump could do right now about Puerto Rico that would make you happy? I give the ultimate handout solution and say bring the entire island over here as refugees, and you still don't like that solution.

Let's hear yours, smart guy.

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Monday, October 2, 2017 9:47 PM

SECOND

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at https://www.mediafire.com/folder/1uwh75oa407q8/Firefly


Quote:

Originally posted by 6stringJoker:
He's calling Kim on his bluff. That's all it is... a bluff.

Rocketman is shitting his pants right now.

Let's talk about Puerto Rico. Stop trying to change the subject.

Is there anything that Trump could do right now about Puerto Rico that would make you happy? I give the ultimate handout solution and say bring the entire island over here as refugees, and you still don't like that solution.

Let's hear yours, smart guy.

Kim is NOT shitting in his pants. He thinks Trump is bluffing; I think Trump is bluffing. If Trump wants to stop Kim from finishing his ICBM program equipped with A-bomb warheads, he will have to destroy a good part of N Korea and Trump's Pentagon are telling him Kim will destroy an even bigger part of S Korea. Who knows if Trump cares about S Korea? Trump, the loudmouth, doesn't even know. But Kim is not bluffing about destroying S Korea in retaliation for being attacked by the USA.

What is Trump going to do? I have as little idea as Trump does. Now back to Puerto Rico and Trump's indecisiveness, the same as his dizzy dithering with N Korea that he tries to disguise with his big mouth about what he will do:

Since his inauguration in January, President Trump has lurched from scandal to scandal, crisis to crisis. And nearly all have been entirely self-inflicted. Make Trump a little less impulsive, a little more slow to take offense, and a little more interested in the details of governance, and he likely wouldn’t have an escalating confrontation with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un or the independent FBI investigation that threatens to engulf his administration.

Hurricane Maria and its devastating hit on Puerto Rico constitutes the first independent crisis of Trump’s tenure — the first event with major consequences for his presidency but out of his immediate control. And what does crisis management look like for President Trump under these circumstances? The same as it does with his self-inflicted wounds: reactive, chaotic, and tinged with demagoguery.

The federal government couldn’t prevent this disaster. But it could have prepared Puerto Rico for the worst by having supplies and resources ready for immediate deployment. That didn’t happen, and the White House is to blame. As Maria approached the island, President Trump was indifferent to the impending crisis, rallying with Alabama Republicans, touting his newest travel ban, and blasting professional football players for their protest against police brutality. On Puerto Rico, however, Trump was silent. To the extent that he spoke publicly, it was to blame its government for the island’s predicament. “Texas & Florida are doing great but Puerto Rico, which was already suffering from broken infrastructure & massive debt, is in deep trouble,” he said last Monday on Twitter, when the extent of the disaster was clear.

The White House had largely dropped the ball, turning its attention from the hurricane as it landed, then fumbling the response. For example, it took a week for Trump to waive a law that barred foreign vessels from delivering aid to Puerto Rico.

When publicly confronted with his inactivity, bordering on indifference, Trump again used Puerto Rico’s government as a scapegoat for the slow pace of recovery. “Ultimately the government of Puerto Rico will have to work with us to determine how this massive rebuilding effort ... will be funded and organized, and what we will do with the tremendous amount of existing debt already on the island,” he said during a Friday speech on tax policy, before traveling to his golf club in Bedminster, New Jersey.

Trump’s only extended comments on the disaster were to attack the mayor of San Juan, who had criticized the administration for trying to spin the situation on Puerto Rico. He did something he had never done when discussing hurricane damage in Texas and Florida: He blasted Puerto Ricans themselves. His next step on N Korea will be similar: to blame China. After that doesn't stop Kim, Trump will be blaming S Korea. After that, Trump will blame the U.N. Talk-talk-talk and no do from Trump. I hope Trump drops the bombs soon because his empty threats ( remember his "Fire and Fury"? ) and big mouth are not making a difference. I beg Trump to show the world with his actions how crazy he is and would he PLEASE stop his talking-talking-talking.


The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at www.mediafire.com/folder/1uwh75oa407q8/Firefly

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Monday, October 2, 2017 10:42 PM

OONJERAH


Second: "I beg Trump to show the world with his actions how crazy
he is and would he PLEASE stop his talking-talking-talking."

I'm the opposite. I'm afraid he will stop talking and start
bombing. Pretty sure he can't tell the innocent from the guilty,
& the bombs don't care where they fall.

I don't want WWIII or tyranny from the USA.

I grew up pledging allegiance to the flag & to the country for
which it stands. And as a kid, I really thought that we were
the Good Guys, all the Time! ('40's)


... oooOO}{OOooo ...

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Monday, October 2, 2017 11:37 PM

6STRINGJOKER


I agree with OONJ here, second.


Is Trump bluffing? I don't think he is. You seem to want Kim to call him out on it. Ball is in Kim's court. Kim loses any way it goes down. Hopefully he swallows his pride and doesn't take others down with him.

That would not be Trump's fault if it happened. Kim wouldn't be in this mess right now if he wasn't firing nerf gun shots for the world to see.



EDIT: Whoops... I do not agree with second here.

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Tuesday, October 3, 2017 3:09 AM

SHINYGOODGUY


Quote:

I grew up pledging allegiance to the flag & to the country for
which it stands. And as a kid, I really thought that we were
the Good Guys, all the Time! ('40's)



Same here...seems like so long ago, and on a different planet.

"Where have you gone Joe DiMaggio...."


SGG


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Tuesday, October 3, 2017 7:02 AM

SECOND

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at https://www.mediafire.com/folder/1uwh75oa407q8/Firefly


I picked a poor example because Trump is playing Russian Roulette with millions of Korean lives and that got you all disturbed. Within Trump's threats is Trump's tacit assumption (yes, believe me, I can read his silly brain) that he can stop Kim from building A-bomb tipped ICBMs by only killing Kim and a few thousand North Koreans around Kim. I'm sure a death toll under a 1,000,000 is impossible but I bet Trump truly thinks he can get the job done for far less; he's that out of his mind. How about a different, less horrifying example of Trump running his mouth, where Republican voters think Trump is bluffing but I think he's stupid? I dare him to build his Texas/Mexico wall.

Trump has promised he can get the Mexicans to pay for it. Building the wall is straight forward and possible, but I think that paying is impossible. I want him to stop talking and build the wall and watch him try to collect the money from Mexico. Same goes with Puerto Rico.

Trump has tacitly assumed that if the Puerto Ricans all work together like good little volunteers they can rebuild the island and pay back their debts without Trump spending hundreds of billions. Same as N Korea, Trump's delusion is he can solve an expensive problem cheaper than anyone else in the world could. Trump wants to spend the Puerto Rican money on tax cuts for himself. That is why he keeps mocking the Puerto Ricans for not trying harder to rebuild. I think Trump is talking stupidly about Puerto Rico because of his greed for a tax cut for the Trump family.

To make this all hopeful sounding that Americans are still good, I hope the White House Chief of Staff and the speechwriters can get Trump to at least read the teleprompter and get Trump to sound sane about Puerto Rico, Mexico, and North Korea, despite Trump being unsound of mind.
Quote:

Originally posted by Oonjerah:
Second: "I beg Trump to show the world with his actions how crazy
he is and would he PLEASE stop his talking-talking-talking."

I'm the opposite. I'm afraid he will stop talking and start
bombing. Pretty sure he can't tell the innocent from the guilty,
& the bombs don't care where they fall.

I don't want WWIII or tyranny from the USA.

I grew up pledging allegiance to the flag & to the country for
which it stands. And as a kid, I really thought that we were
the Good Guys, all the Time! ('40's)


... oooOO}{OOooo ...



The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at www.mediafire.com/folder/1uwh75oa407q8/Firefly

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Tuesday, October 3, 2017 11:58 AM

6STRINGJOKER


That's a long post based off opinions and self-admitted ability to read minds.

I kind of skimmed it. Doesn't look to be anything in there that you haven't posted 100 other times about Trump.

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Tuesday, October 3, 2017 9:16 PM

OONJERAH


https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/03/opinion/trump-fails-puerto-rico.htm
l


Comments: David Ricardo, Massachusetts - 3 Oct 17 says,
Oh, please. This column is what Trump would call "fake news." There has been only one individual on the entire island who complained about the federal government's response, the mayor of San Juan. This mayor had not met with FEMA officials and had not participated in recovery efforts. The governor of Puerto Rico was initially quite positive on the federal government's actions.

The problems with distribution in PR are due to unionized drivers failing to show up for work. There are tons of supplies in the port ready for distribution, and the local drivers are nowhere to be found. Let's put the criticism where it belongs.

In addition, PR is plagued by poor governance and corruption. I, for one, do not want to dump a bunch of aid on an island without the government infrastructure to manage it. Puerto Rico has a long history of incompetence and corruption, and let's not use Hurricane Maria as an excuse to bail out these crooks.
.......

OK. I quote Ricardo because he does speak to something I
suspected. Altho from here, I dunno if Mayor Yulin Cruz
is at fault, or is it the Governor Rossello?
When I first began to read about PR after this disaster
struck ... I saw that they appear to have huge debt for
a state of only 3.6 million citizens. And no way to work
out of it 'cause unemployment is also very high? Seems
like business as usual in PR had the citizens in dire
straits beFore the storm.

I've no idea of the age distribution of people there.
What percentage are employable? Are there jobs to be had?
If so, do they get even minimum wage? ... I don't know.

We often call such places "a banana republic." This one's
a banana US protectorate that we're not managing very well
at all. If things don't work down there, isn't it on the USA
to fix ... We like to interfere & we're good at it.

But if it was our 51st state ... that's a different story.


... oooOO}{OOooo ...

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Tuesday, October 3, 2017 9:34 PM

6STRINGJOKER


Sounds like they're a complete welfare state.

Most people didn't even know their status before, and most people couldn't explain it to you now.

Who's financial responsibility is Puerto Rico? Californian citizens? Alaskan citizens? Indiana citizens?

Why should it be on tax payers 3,000 or more miles away to support somebody else? What do they get out of it?


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Tuesday, October 3, 2017 10:04 PM

OONJERAH



6, I really don't think they need support, & prob'ly don't want it.
Most people would prefer opportunity.

What they need is economic development.
And if the poor economy is due to corruption ...
I wouldn't know where to begin.


... oooOO}{OOooo ...

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Tuesday, October 3, 2017 10:53 PM

6STRINGJOKER


I'm just wondering what you meant by "isn't it on the US to fix it".

I'm not a huge fan with how we go about "fixing" things stateside, or anywhere else in the world that is not in our purview, for that matter.

They're probably better off without our "help".



As for why they're in the situation they're in, I'm sure government corruption has a lot to do with it. But again, I don't trust our leaders to "fix" that any more than I trust their leaders to. I say the same for Republican or Democrat leaders here.

I think in the end it all boils down to overpopulation, which I've said on many occasions is probably the largest problem that everybody faces in the world right now. Some more than others.

That's an awfully tiny island to have 3.4 million people on it.

Quote:

Similar in size to Connecticut, encompassing 3,492 square miles.
Population: 3.8 million. As a state it would be considered mid-sized by population measure (similar to Kentucky or Arizona)



Connecticut: 5,543 mi²
Kentucky Size: 40,409 mi²
Arizona Size: 113,998 mi²



Only less than 400,000 people live in San Juan, and I'm sure a lot of them aren't close to being rich. I can't imagine there's a lot of booming business for the other 3 million people living outside of San Juan.


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Wednesday, October 4, 2017 1:08 AM

OONJERAH


Sq miles  ...  PoP  ...  ...   Pop per sq mile
   304.6 mi²   8,538,000   28,030 : New York City
3,515.0 mi²   3,411,000       979 : Puerto Rico
So the population of NYC is 28.63 times as dense as PR.
Overpopulation isn't a problem in Puerto Rico.

The people outside of San Juan may be mostly farmers &
fishermen. No doubt, urban areas have the same kinds of
skilled labor you'd find in any self-sufficient community.


... oooOO}{OOooo ...

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Wednesday, October 4, 2017 2:17 AM

6STRINGJOKER


Quote:

Originally posted by Oonjerah:
Sq miles  ...  PoP  ...  ...   Pop per sq mile
   304.6 mi²   8,538,000   28,030 : New York City
3,515.0 mi²   3,411,000       979 : Puerto Rico
So the population of NYC is 28.63 times as dense as PR.
Overpopulation isn't a problem in Puerto Rico.

The people outside of San Juan may be mostly farmers &
fishermen. No doubt, urban areas have the same kinds of
skilled labor you'd find in any self-sufficient community.


... oooOO}{OOooo ...



LOL... Can't compare San Juan to New York. Not only is NYC one of the biggest, if not the biggest cities in the most powerful nation on the planet, but it's kind of the central hub of the world.

How much airport traffic do you think San Juan gets in a year compared to NYC?

Overpopulation is the problem in Puerto Rico. There is nothing that they could do that would give worthwhile jobs to 3.4 million people on that little island that nobody travels to. What could they possibly have to offer the rest of the world besides maybe some light tourism when they clean up the island? Maybe they can grow some sort of crop that has medicinal purposes that is not able to grow in any other area on the planet?

They've got nothing anybody wants.

Well.... I guess that's their number 2 problem right there.

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Wednesday, October 4, 2017 9:04 AM

SECOND

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at https://www.mediafire.com/folder/1uwh75oa407q8/Firefly


Quote:

Originally posted by 6stringJoker:

There is nothing that they could do that would give worthwhile jobs to 3.4 million people on that little island that nobody travels to. What could they possibly have to offer the rest of the world besides maybe some light tourism when they clean up the island? Maybe they can grow some sort of crop that has medicinal purposes that is not able to grow in any other area on the planet?

They've got nothing anybody wants.

Well.... I guess that's their number 2 problem right there.

There is more going on than tourism from cruise ships. Puerto Rico manufacturing is 46.4% of the economy.

For the USA, it is 19.4%.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Puerto_Rico
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_the_United_States

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at www.mediafire.com/folder/1uwh75oa407q8/Firefly

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Wednesday, October 4, 2017 2:03 PM

6STRINGJOKER


Manufacturing what the island needs maybe. How much of the stuff is exported? Good or bad, they live in a bubble.

A majority of that manufacturing money being made would be in San Juan and maybe a few other smaller hubs of the island. A very small percentage of people are making out on that work. All the people that don't have good jobs and pretty much slave away at farming probably make just enough to survive on. Nobody is paying for food when nobody has money to pay for food.


I've already said many times that our lack of manufacturing in the US today is a problem. It's not because we don't have anything to offer though. It's because we ushered in the global economy and the big corporations make a killing having the work done any place but here.

I've also said that overpopulation in the US is a problem, and we have a lot more land per person here than they do in Puerto Rico. This was my argument for why there is a need for so many worthless minimum wage jobs in society today, because there is too many people.

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Wednesday, October 4, 2017 10:22 PM

OONJERAH


Quote:

Originally posted by SECOND:
There is more going on than tourism from cruise ships. Puerto Rico manufacturing is 46.4% of the economy.

For the USA, it is 19.4%.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_Puerto_Rico
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Economy_of_the_United_States

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at www.mediafire.com/folder/1uwh75oa407q8/Firefly



My guess is: the USA does a lot of manufacturing there,
    because the labor is much cheaper?

If so, that'd even account for why it's not a US state. :(


... oooOO}{OOooo ...

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Wednesday, October 4, 2017 10:45 PM

6STRINGJOKER


Quote:

Originally posted by Oonjerah:

My guess is: the USA does a lot of manufacturing there,
    because the labor is much cheaper?

If so, that'd even account for why it's not a US state. :(


... oooOO}{OOooo ...



Good point, but I think I have to go with yes and no on that one.

I just don't think that the labor would be all that cheap compared to countries half a world a way that we've been exploiting for generations now.

When's the last time you saw "Made in Puerto Rico" on anything? I never have. Most of my stuff comes from China, although I honestly rarely ever buy anything that isn't food these days, so you'd probably know better than I would.


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Thursday, October 5, 2017 4:21 PM

SECOND

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at https://www.mediafire.com/folder/1uwh75oa407q8/Firefly


“I just want to tell you that right from the beginning this governor did not play politics,” Trump said during his visit to Puerto Rico on Tuesday. “He didn’t play it at all. He was saying it like it was. And he was giving us the highest grades.” Trump tweeted: Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello just stated: "The Administration and the President, every time we've spoken, they've delivered......

The idea that everything is fine because Governor Rosselló says it’s fine has been a consistent theme of Trump’s commentary on the storm.

And while Rosselló has, when not discussing matters with Trump, expressed considerable concern that Congress hasn’t yet appropriated the kind of money his island is going to need, he has maintained a consistent posture of public support for Trump. It’s extended as far as seeming to slow-walk updates of the death count, which Trump has repeatedly cited as evidence of the smooth recovery process.

As a tactic for dealing with a president who reportedly receives a daily briefing document full of flattering press accounts of his own activities, Rosselló’s strategy makes sense. Puerto Rico is going to need money and possibly debt relief. A worst-case scenario for Rosselló is one in which he angers Trump and Trump retaliates by taking a hard line against the island’s interests. Trump’s taste for flattery is becoming a disaster for Puerto Rico because it is in real trouble but Trump only wishes to hear good news out of Puerto Rico.

Trump gives no sign of having begun to wrestle with the severity of either the short-term humanitarian or the long-term economic issue on anything other than the most superficial level. The upshot of his emphasis on denouncing media scrutiny and elevating official flattery is that he never will.

The good news for Trump, the country, and the world is that though the fate of Puerto Rico’s 3 million people is important to them, it’s limited in its broader impact on the outside world.

www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/10/5/16425954/trump-flattery-puer
to-rico


The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at www.mediafire.com/folder/1uwh75oa407q8/Firefly

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Thursday, October 5, 2017 5:21 PM

6STRINGJOKER


Yeah. Like I said, they have nothing to offer.

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Thursday, October 5, 2017 11:25 PM

OONJERAH


Second, did you just say that Puerto Ricans are stuck
with bailing themselves out?
If so, I'm wrong to imagine that US manufacturers use
them for cheap labor. If they were valuable to business
interests here, then we would help them.

I wonder why they are so undeveloped commercially.



... oooOO}{OOooo ...

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Friday, October 6, 2017 12:15 AM

6STRINGJOKER


Quote:

Originally posted by Oonjerah:
Second, did you just say that Puerto Ricans are stuck
with bailing themselves out?
If so, I'm wrong to imagine that US manufacturers use
them for cheap labor. If they were valuable to business
interests here, then we would help them.

I wonder why they are so undeveloped commercially.



That's how I read this last part...

Quote:

The good news for Trump, the country, and the world is that though the fate of Puerto Rico’s 3 million people is important to them, it’s limited in its broader impact on the outside world.


After filtering out obligatory the anti-trump bias and the ridiculous statement that this is important to the rest of the world, of course.

It's not really important to anybody besides people in Puerto Rico, and people who have family or friends that live in Puerto Rico. Sure, I could sit here and virtue signal all day about how my heart and prayers go out to them to make me feel better about myself, but what good is that doing anybody in Puerto Rico.

The fact that they really have nothing to contribute to the rest of the world is especially damning for their situation right now.

I'm not trying to be a dick here, and I agree with you 100% that if they were valuable to business interests here than we would be helping them more. All I'm saying is that their situation sucks and nobody is going to do anything much that helps them if they don't do it for themselves. Everybody that's posting about it online today won't even remember it happened 3 weeks from now.

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Friday, October 6, 2017 2:44 AM

OONJERAH


How a heartbroken doomsday prepper who lost everything
is now saving hurricane victims

http://www.nj.com/burlington/index.ssf/2017/09/how_a_heartbroken_dooms
day_prepper_who_lost_everyt.html


"MEDFORD TWP. — You probably wouldn't expect to find a doomsday prepper's
compound at the end of a nice cul-de-sac off of Tuckerton Road, otherwise
lined with large houses with pools. ..."

... oooOO}{OOooo ...

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Friday, October 6, 2017 3:39 AM

6STRINGJOKER


Now that's an awesome story.

Thanks for sharing that OONJ.

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Friday, October 6, 2017 5:12 AM

SHINYGOODGUY


Puerto Rico's debt to the U.S. will prohibit any type of economic abandonment by Congress, too much has been invested already. So, what to do? Good question. Perhaps, as has been suggested, the island should be left to fend for itself, you know break ties with the U.S. No more Commonwealth!

Because, as has been suggested, "they" have nothing to offer. So, as it says in the song in West Side Story, "let it sink back in the ocean."

https://www.vox.com/energy-and-environment/2017/10/2/16403236/puerto-r
ico-economy-utilities-power-prepa-disaster


https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2017/10/5/16403952/hurricane-m
aria-puerto-rico-migration


Some economic background

Quote:

The Maria-fueled exodus is really an acceleration of a trend that’s been underway for years. Puerto Ricans are US citizens, part of the US labor market, and can take jobs and move wherever they want. And due largely to Puerto Rico’s economic crisis and persistently high unemployment, its residents have been leaving in large numbers in recent years.

Pew Research Center estimates that the Puerto Rican population peaked in 2004, and the territory lost 446,000 people between then and 2016, nearly 12 percent of the population. In 2015 alone, 89,000 Puerto Ricans left for the US mainland, and 64,238 of them have not returned. San Juan, the capital, lost about 10 percent of its population in the decade from 2005 to 2015.

The financial crisis and recession hit Puerto Rico slightly before the US as a whole, beginning with the end of tax breaks that Congress had offered manufacturers for locating in Puerto Rico. The breaks had allowed Puerto Rican subsidiaries of US companies to send earnings back to the mainland without paying federal corporate taxes. US politicians widely viewed this as an illegitimate corporate tax giveaway, and in 1996 Congress opted to phase it out gradually over 10 years. In 2006, the full brunt of the breaks' removal hit, and manufacturers, in particular pharmaceutical companies, began closing plants; an estimated 100,000 manufacturing jobs have been lost, with more indirect jobs going away as a result.
The result was a recession, worsened by the US mainland financial crisis and recession in 2007 and 2008.

Meanwhile, federal law had also caused an explosion in the territory’s public debt. Puerto Rican debt is “triple exempt” from taxes: Bonds issued by the territory’s government are exempt from state/territory-level, municipal, and federal taxation. There’s other triple-exempt debt in the US too, but you generally have to live in the place in question to enjoy it; Californians buying California state debt, for instance, get a triple exemption. Puerto Rico’s debt, however, is triple-exempt no matter who buys it. That naturally led a lot of people to want to buy it, giving the government a reason to take out lots of debt.

The sudden collapse of the territorial (and national) economy in the late 2000s made repaying that debt tough. That led to pressure for austerity policies that made the economic situation as experienced by ordinary Puerto Ricans even worse. Even now, after the continental US has largely recovered from the Great Recession, unemployment in Puerto Rico is above 10 percent; it peaked at 17 percent in 2010. The Census Bureau estimates the poverty rate at 43.5 percent. In those conditions, relocating to the mainland, which has always enjoyed far higher household incomes than Puerto Rico, starts to look very attractive.

“If you compare it to the historic periods where there’s been the greatest levels of migration, like after WWII and in the ’80s, the last 10 years are another one of those peaks,” Elizabeth Aranda, a professor of sociology at the University of Southern Florida who studies Puerto Rican migrant communities, says. “It might even surpass migration in the 1980s.”The Maria-fueled exodus is really an acceleration of a trend that’s been underway for years. Puerto Ricans are US citizens, part of the US labor market, and can take jobs and move wherever they want. And due largely to Puerto Rico’s economic crisis and persistently high unemployment, its residents have been leaving in large numbers in recent years.




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Sunday, October 8, 2017 12:53 AM

SHINYGOODGUY


Quote:

Is there anything that Trump could do right now about Puerto Rico that would make you happy? I give the ultimate handout solution and say bring the entire island over here as refugees, and you still don't like that solution.


1- Handout solution - it's funny, Big Corporations get bailouts (really corporate welfare) and very little is said - barely a blip on the radar screen - and yet...

2- It brings me to the "refugees" statement - can Americans, within their own country, be called refugees?

There is a solution that would both rebuild the island, and repay the Bonds held (despite the fact they were illegally obtained by UBS) against Puerto Rico. Restructure the debt and rebuild the infrastructure. Now that is, of course, that the bond holders don't want to take over the island and bypass the statehood option.
With statehood Puerto Rico would go the way of Hawaii and become another luxury playground for the rich and famous, and employ the natives of the island as a type of indentured slaves.

I don't think that the US Congress will opt to make PR a state, there's too much at stake. I believe that they will be allowed to suffer and literally 'sink' into the ocean. Wall Street will call in their notes and put the squeeze on PR, and be made to repay their debt by surrendering the island as so much collateral. I'm not sure of the logistics, but somehow the island will wind up in others hands. Properties will be bought up for pennies on the dollar, and packaged to investors. Wall Street will get paid and the island will be made into a type of Hawaii/Disneyland, as I said, a playground for the wealthy. A new style colonialism.

Just sayin'


SGG

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Sunday, October 8, 2017 2:43 AM

6STRINGJOKER


Quote:

Originally posted by SHINYGOODGUY:
Quote:

Is there anything that Trump could do right now about Puerto Rico that would make you happy? I give the ultimate handout solution and say bring the entire island over here as refugees, and you still don't like that solution.


1- Handout solution - it's funny, Big Corporations get bailouts (really corporate welfare) and very little is said - barely a blip on the radar screen - and yet...

2- It brings me to the "refugees" statement - can Americans, within their own country, be called refugees?

There is a solution that would both rebuild the island, and repay the Bonds held (despite the fact they were illegally obtained by UBS) against Puerto Rico. Restructure the debt and rebuild the infrastructure. Now that is, of course, that the bond holders don't want to take over the island and bypass the statehood option.
With statehood Puerto Rico would go the way of Hawaii and become another luxury playground for the rich and famous, and employ the natives of the island as a type of indentured slaves.

I don't think that the US Congress will opt to make PR a state, there's too much at stake. I believe that they will be allowed to suffer and literally 'sink' into the ocean. Wall Street will call in their notes and put the squeeze on PR, and be made to repay their debt by surrendering the island as so much collateral. I'm not sure of the logistics, but somehow the island will wind up in others hands. Properties will be bought up for pennies on the dollar, and packaged to investors. Wall Street will get paid and the island will be made into a type of Hawaii/Disneyland, as I said, a playground for the wealthy. A new style colonialism.

Just sayin'


SGG



1 - A lot of people had huge problems with the bailouts. I was one of them. These happened both under GWB and Obama.

2 - Yes they can. If California were falling into the ocean, or the same thing that happened to Puerto Rico happened instead to Hawaii, we'd be calling them Refugees. The term's orginal use was just for persons seeking refuge. Refuge itself meaning "shelter or protection from danger or distress".

The current use of the word is bullshit and is under discussion currently for redefinition...

Quote:

In 2014, James Paul criticized the original 1951 definition on three accounts:[9]

"refugees have been defined in terms of those moving across nation-state borders, as if national identity excludes all other displacements of equal consequence ...";
"the neat definition of Article 1 glides over the ?ne print a little further down the page that allows state signatories to choose to restrict the definition of refugees to only those who have come from Europe, and during a very particular time-period ...";
"it gives credence to the notion that personal individualized 'fear of being persecuted' is the core reason for needing support. War, upheaval, famine and pestilence do not in the conventional definition make for refugee status. It does not matter that civilian deaths as a proportion of deaths in war escalated to 10% in World War I, and to more than 90% of the 40 million killed since 1945. It only matters that persons fear the persecution of their state."

Not all reasons for seeking asylum in another country satisfy the definition of "refugee" according to article 1A of the 1951 Refugee Convention. In 1951, the parties of the treaty had the idea that slavery was a thing from the past and therefore escaped and fleeing slaves are a group not mentioned in the definition.[citation needed] Fleeing droughts and hunger, fleeing economic hardship, natural disasters and not even war or terror satisfied the definition of 1951.




Add to that the fact that Puerto Ricans are Americans only in the very loosest sense of the word.

Quote:

However, the prevailing consensus among scholars, lawmakers and policymakers is that Puerto Ricans are not entitled to a constitutional citizenship status. While Puerto Ricans are officially U.S. citizens, the territory remains unincorporated. This contradiction has enabled the governance of Puerto Rico as a separate and unequal territory that belongs to, but is not a part of, the United States.


They've got a vote coming up soon. I wonder how that's going to go now....

Quote:

The ConversationOn June 11, Puerto Ricans will vote in a nonbinding status plebiscite deciding whether Puerto Rico should become a state or a sovereign country. If a majority votes for statehood, the question is whether Congress will grant 3.5 million U.S. citizens the ability to live in the 51st state.


My advice is for them to start learning English and practicing their hosting skills. If that's the option they want to take next year to rebuild their island, it's going to be rebuilt into Disneyland San Juan.

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Monday, October 9, 2017 5:34 AM

OONJERAH


Puerto Rico cancer patients, elderly to arrive in Miami
https://www.local10.com/weather/hurricane/puerto-rico-cancer-patients-
elderly-to-arrive-in-miami


Much of island remains without power after Hurricane Maria
.
.
"What would happen to these people if they wouldn't be able to get
on this flight? They would probably die," Betancourt said.

The official death count in Puerto Rico is 36, but many people fear
that number is likely much higher -- stressing the urgent need for
these types of operations to take place.

The charter flight being used in this case was donated.


... oooOO}{OOooo ...

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Monday, October 9, 2017 5:37 AM

OONJERAH


When you can adopt rescued dogs and cats brought to NC
from Puerto Rico after hurricanes

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/local/article177750121.html#storylink
=cpy


Eighty-seven homeless pets – 70 dogs and 17 cats – arrived in North
Carolina last week, rescued from Puerto Rico following devastating
storms – and many of them are almost ready to meet their new families.

... oooOO}{OOooo ...

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Tuesday, October 10, 2017 7:53 PM

OONJERAH


This may be my Next-to-Last comment in this thread.

My pal has been found & listed at a shelter in Isabella, PR.

However, until a friend actually speaks to him, we won't
know about his kitty.

Also: Having more US businesses open shop over there,
if they paid well, PR might start a real recovery from its
long time poverty.



... oooOO}{OOooo ...

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Tuesday, October 10, 2017 8:04 PM

1KIKI

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.


I'm glad to hear your friend made it through ok. I hope his kitty is as fortunate, and that they're reunited soon.




Trump is not the problem. He set himself against the Deep State's agenda. And the Deep State's been heading for WWIII for years.
As for you, you're just a Deep State useful idiot, furthering its agenda. So I hope you enjoy cesium in your coffee. You've earned it.

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Tuesday, October 10, 2017 11:27 PM

OONJERAH


I'm assuming that when the Red Cross did the head count,
it was only people.
When my pal gets a signal to his cell phone, probably he'll
"call Home" & let someone know the details. His pictures on
Facebook show a kitty that looks more alert than my cats.


... oooOO}{OOooo ...

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Friday, October 13, 2017 2:27 AM

OONJERAH


ARRRGGHe!!

Trump threat to abandon Puerto Rico recovery sparks a backlash

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-threat-to-abandon-puerto
-rico-recovery-sparks-a-backlash/2017/10/12/cf0d0abe-af62-11e7-9e58-e6288544af98_story.html?utm_term=.ab02cbb2b960


"President Trump served notice Thursday that he may withdraw federal
relief workers from Puerto Rico and blamed the island for its failing in-
frastructure, effectively threatening to abandon the U.S. territory amid
a staggering humanitarian crisis in the aftermath of twin hurricanes."

... "On the island, residents and elected officials responded to Trump’s
Thursday tweets with outrage and disbelief."


It's true that I've not said anything nice about Donald Trump so far.
But until now, I never thought that he might be Truly Evil, rather than
just an Olde Spoiled Brat.

PR was in bad shape before Maria came thru & took out any/all structures
& facilities not built to withstand the Ages. As our Protectorate, PR is
entitled to our aide. It is US neglect that has caused at least some of
PR's poverty.


... oooOO}{OOooo ...

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Monday, October 16, 2017 12:22 AM

OONJERAH


Jennifer Lopez Takes Stage at Telethon to Perform
and Promise Puerto Rico 'You Are Not Forgotten'

http://people.com/music/jennifer-lopez-performs-puerto-rico-benefit-co
ncert
/

On Saturday night, Jennifer Lopez performed at One Voice: Somos Live!
A Concert for Disaster Relief — the Puerto Rico benefit concert and
telethon she organized with her ex-husband Marc Anthony and boyfriend
Alex Rodriguez.

In addition to singing several of her hit tracks, Lopez also took the
stage to champion the fundraising efforts by a slew of -star-studded
participants.



... oooOO}{OOooo ...

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Monday, October 16, 2017 9:39 AM

SHINYGOODGUY


JLo also pledged $1 million, the first Puerto Rican/Latina to do so. She started the ball rolling.


SGG


Quote:

Originally posted by Oonjerah:
Jennifer Lopez Takes Stage at Telethon to Perform
and Promise Puerto Rico 'You Are Not Forgotten'

http://people.com/music/jennifer-lopez-performs-puerto-rico-benefit-co
ncert
/

On Saturday night, Jennifer Lopez performed at One Voice: Somos Live!
A Concert for Disaster Relief — the Puerto Rico benefit concert and
telethon she organized with her ex-husband Marc Anthony and boyfriend
Alex Rodriguez.

In addition to singing several of her hit tracks, Lopez also took the
stage to champion the fundraising efforts by a slew of -star-studded
participants.



... oooOO}{OOooo ...


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Monday, October 16, 2017 9:44 AM

SHINYGOODGUY


People keep forgetting that Puerto Rico, before Maria hit, took on the survivors from the Virgin Islands. And this with a failing infrastructure, as the Donald keeps reminding everyone.

Puerto Ricans have heart. they will share the little that they have to help a neighbor.

I have to laugh every time I hear that Trump said that he met with the president of the Virgin Islands......that's you, you dumb shit!

He meant to say Governor.


SGG


Quote:

Originally posted by Oonjerah:
ARRRGGHe!!

Trump threat to abandon Puerto Rico recovery sparks a backlash

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-threat-to-abandon-puerto
-rico-recovery-sparks-a-backlash/2017/10/12/cf0d0abe-af62-11e7-9e58-e6288544af98_story.html?utm_term=.ab02cbb2b960


"President Trump served notice Thursday that he may withdraw federal
relief workers from Puerto Rico and blamed the island for its failing in-
frastructure, effectively threatening to abandon the U.S. territory amid
a staggering humanitarian crisis in the aftermath of twin hurricanes."

... "On the island, residents and elected officials responded to Trump’s
Thursday tweets with outrage and disbelief."


It's true that I've not said anything nice about Donald Trump so far.
But until now, I never thought that he might be Truly Evil, rather than
just an Olde Spoiled Brat.

PR was in bad shape before Maria came thru & took out any/all structures
& facilities not built to withstand the Ages. As our Protectorate, PR is
entitled to our aide. It is US neglect that has caused at least some of
PR's poverty.


... oooOO}{OOooo ...


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Monday, October 16, 2017 10:23 AM

SHINYGOODGUY


Quote:

2 - Yes they can. If California were falling into the ocean, or the same thing that happened to Puerto Rico happened instead to Hawaii, we'd be calling them Refugees. The term's orginal use was just for persons seeking refuge. Refuge itself meaning "shelter or protection from danger or distress".

The current use of the word is bullshit and is under discussion currently for redefinition...



I looked up "refugee" online: English Oxford Living Dictionaries:

"A person who has been forced to leave their country in order to escape war, persecution, or natural disaster."

Like your pals Kiki and Siggy always like to say: Cites please!
Who is discussing the redefinition of the word refugee, I want to check it myself, so please post a link or give me a name, something to go on. Notice too that it says "leave their country" and since Puerto Rico is a territory, and it's people American Citizens; they can't very well leave the country they are already in.

Seeking "refuge" from the storm is the correct way to describe the plight of the people from Houston, Florida, California, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands - Americans all. Refuge comes from the French word meaning "to flee." If you want to get technical.

But "Refugee" usually connotes a person "fleeing" from another country, as stated above, because of religious or political persecution....like those white boys that came from England and crash-landed on Plymouth Rock all those years ago. Like that!
Whenever I hear the term refugee, I think of those poor fucks from Syria seeking asylum from the gassing and bombing by the evil motherfuckers from Assad's group.
Now those are refugees!

But the poor motherfuckers that survived the wildfires out west, and the poor slobs in Houston and Key West, well they are survivors. I have never seen a T-shirt that says..."I'm a refugee from 9/11" No, it's "I'm a survivor of 9/11." Did you ever hear someone say..."I'm a refugee of the plane crash." You get the picture, don't you?

Quote:

Add to that the fact that Puerto Ricans are Americans only in the very loosest sense of the word.


This is an incontrovertible truth that Puerto Ricans and Virgin Islanders are American citizens,

Quote:

"According to The Citizens Educational Foundation, June 9, 1999: Persons born in Puerto Rico acquire U.S. citizenship under 8 U.S.C. 1402, which is part of the U.S. Immigration and Nationality Act. This is statutory citizenship rather than citizenship arising from birth or naturalization in a state of the union under the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. U.S. citizenship is protected by the U.S. Constitution from being taken away arbitrarily. Congress cannot take away citizenship previously granted to Puerto Ricans....without any legitimate purpose."


Puerto Ricans became U.S. citizens in March 2, 1917 (just in time for WWI) signed into law by Woodrow Wilson, known as the Jones Act. In other words, U.S. citizens by law. FULL FLEDGED Americans, although somewhat complicated when it comes to voting and other privileges such as tax nd so on. Last year Puerto Ricans paid $3.3 Billion in taxes, fees and tariffs to the U.S. Govt.

You can talk until you're blue in the face but, Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens.
They don't vote for POTUS, but if they move to the "mainland" they can. Because they are U.S. citizens. To say it's complicated is a gross understatement.


SGG

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Monday, October 16, 2017 11:24 AM

SHINYGOODGUY


Here's a video by Splinter/Jack Mirkinson on Puerto Rico

https://splinternews.com/lets-start-talking-about-puerto-rico-honestly
-1819456138



SGG


Quote:

Originally posted by Oonjerah:
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/03/opinion/trump-fails-puerto-rico.htm
l


Comments: David Ricardo, Massachusetts - 3 Oct 17 says,
Oh, please. This column is what Trump would call "fake news." There has been only one individual on the entire island who complained about the federal government's response, the mayor of San Juan. This mayor had not met with FEMA officials and had not participated in recovery efforts. The governor of Puerto Rico was initially quite positive on the federal government's actions.

The problems with distribution in PR are due to unionized drivers failing to show up for work. There are tons of supplies in the port ready for distribution, and the local drivers are nowhere to be found. Let's put the criticism where it belongs.

In addition, PR is plagued by poor governance and corruption. I, for one, do not want to dump a bunch of aid on an island without the government infrastructure to manage it. Puerto Rico has a long history of incompetence and corruption, and let's not use Hurricane Maria as an excuse to bail out these crooks.
.......

OK. I quote Ricardo because he does speak to something I
suspected. Altho from here, I dunno if Mayor Yulin Cruz
is at fault, or is it the Governor Rossello?
When I first began to read about PR after this disaster
struck ... I saw that they appear to have huge debt for
a state of only 3.6 million citizens. And no way to work
out of it 'cause unemployment is also very high? Seems
like business as usual in PR had the citizens in dire
straits beFore the storm.

I've no idea of the age distribution of people there.
What percentage are employable? Are there jobs to be had?
If so, do they get even minimum wage? ... I don't know.

We often call such places "a banana republic." This one's
a banana US protectorate that we're not managing very well
at all. If things don't work down there, isn't it on the USA
to fix ... We like to interfere & we're good at it.

But if it was our 51st state ... that's a different story.


... oooOO}{OOooo ...


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Wednesday, October 18, 2017 12:48 AM

OONJERAH


Send Mitt Romney to Puerto Rico
https://slate.com/business/2017/10/send-mitt-romney-to-puerto-rico.htm
l?wpsrc=sh_all_dt_tw_ru


The island needs an adviser to navigate Washington, Wall Street,
and an uncertain future. He’s perfect.


{I don't recall much about Mitt. But if this is true, I hope he gets the job.}
... oooOO}{OOooo ...

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Wednesday, October 18, 2017 3:37 AM

1KIKI

Goodbye, kind world (George Monbiot) - In common with all those generations which have contemplated catastrophe, we appear to be incapable of understanding what confronts us.


Quote:

Originally posted by SHINYGOODGUY:
Here's a video by Splinter/Jack Mirkinson on Puerto Rico
https://splinternews.com/lets-start-talking-about-puerto-rico-honestly
-1819456138

SGG

I've wondered for quite a while - why does the US hold lands (Puerto Rico, Guam, Northern Mariana islands - where goods have the coveted Made in USA label, U.S. Virgin Islands, and American Samoa) with the inhabitants in limbo?

I thought we were the land of the free.




Trump is not the problem. He set himself against the Deep State's agenda. And the Deep State's been heading for WWIII for years.
As for you, you're just a Deep State useful idiot, furthering its agenda. So I hope you enjoy cesium in your coffee. You've earned it.

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Wednesday, October 18, 2017 5:09 AM

OONJERAH



1Kiki: "I thought we were the land of the free."


Well ... we are ... sorta. Now that I think about it, it's kind of
conditional, even for me. There are people here who have a lot
more authority than me ... more rights, as it were. Law enforce-
ment & judges, for example. In a capitalist society, doesn't money
buy more rights?

As for our colonial territories, I'd like to see them prosper. There
is No good reason for them to be in poverty, & Shiney, I don't under-
stand it yet. Seeing is believing, but not necessarily comprehending.


... oooOO}{OOooo ...

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Wednesday, October 18, 2017 8:44 PM

OONJERAH



Mississippi to take in 1,200 prisoners from hurricane-scarred Puerto Rico
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2017/10/18/mississippi-
take-1-200-prisoners-hurricane-scarred-puerto-rico/777820001
/


... oooOO}{OOooo ...

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Wednesday, October 18, 2017 8:49 PM

OONJERAH


Puerto Rico governor to huddle with Trump on recovery efforts
http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/356072-puerto-rico-governor
-to-huddle-with-trump-on-recovery-efforts



... oooOO}{OOooo ...

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Wednesday, October 18, 2017 9:35 PM

SIGNYM

I believe in solving problems, not sharing them.


I know that there are many lessons to be drawn from Puerto Rico, but the lesson that I get from it (and Katrina) is this: If there is a truly horrific disaster, you're on your own for at least three weeks if not more.

Seriously. I live near LA, and we're way overdue for a major quake. Can you imagine a situation where thousands are dead and millions have no power or water?


-----------
Pity would be no more,
If we did not MAKE men poor - William Blake

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Thursday, October 19, 2017 12:53 AM

OONJERAH



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Thursday, October 19, 2017 1:11 AM

OONJERAH


Like this?

Central Mexico earthquake struck at 13:14 CDT (18:14 UTC)
on 19 September 2017 with an estimated magnitude of Mw 7.1
and strong shaking for about 20 seconds.

... oooOO}{OOooo ...

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Thursday, October 19, 2017 1:00 PM

SHINYGOODGUY


No different than any other foreign power looking to colonize and conquer lands to gain financially and militarily. The Roman Empire, Spanish and English, French, Dutch etc.

This is a reality throughout history, even your precious Russia is looking to lord over the former Soviet Union. History repeats itself.


SGG


Quote:

Originally posted by 1kiki:
Quote:

Originally posted by SHINYGOODGUY:
Here's a video by Splinter/Jack Mirkinson on Puerto Rico
https://splinternews.com/lets-start-talking-about-puerto-rico-honestly
-1819456138

SGG

I've wondered for quite a while - why does the US hold lands (Puerto Rico, Guam, Northern Mariana islands - where goods have the coveted Made in USA label, U.S. Virgin Islands, and American Samoa) with the inhabitants in limbo?

I thought we were the land of the free.




Trump is not the problem. He set himself against the Deep State's agenda. And the Deep State's been heading for WWIII for years.
As for you, you're just a Deep State useful idiot, furthering its agenda. So I hope you enjoy cesium in your coffee. You've earned it.


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Friday, October 20, 2017 8:48 AM

SECOND

The Joss Whedon script for Serenity, where Wash lives, is Serenity-190pages.pdf at https://www.mediafire.com/folder/1uwh75oa407q8/Firefly


Why is the power off in Puerto Rico?

In contrast with Texas after Hurricane Harvey and Florida after Irma, where thousands of workers rushed in, only a few hundred electrical workers from outside the island have arrived.

It was not until Saturday that the Puerto Rican government said it had the federal funding needed to bring in more workers. And until a week ago, the small Montana company hired to get the lights back on had only 165 workers on the ground; it now has about 300.

In comparison, 5,300 workers from outside the region converged on coastal Texas in the days after Hurricane Harvey to restore a power loss that was about a tenth the size, said Larry Jones, a spokesman for AEP Texas. Electricity was back on for almost everyone within two weeks.

In Florida, 18,000 outside workers went in after Hurricane Irma knocked out electricity to most of the state last month, according to FPL, Florida’s largest power company.

In Puerto Rico, the brunt of the work has been left to the 900 members of local crews.

www.nytimes.com/2017/10/19/us/puerto-rico-electricity-power.html

How much is Texas getting, compared to Puerto Rico, for hurricane aid? For Texas, it would be $18.7 billion in funding specifically for relief and recovery efforts from Hurricane Harvey. For Puerto Rico, with more damage to more people, I can't find a number. Here is a reason why the number for Puerto Rico is a closely guarded government secret:
Quote:

Floridians are “amazing people,” President Trump tweeted after Hurricane Irma. “We’re going to see some of the folks and make sure they’re happy,” he said in Fort Myers. Texans, for their part, “have done a fantastic job of getting things together” after Harvey.

“We are with you today, we are with you tomorrow, and we will be with you EVERY SINGLE DAY AFTER, to restore, recover, and REBUILD!” he told Texas. Florida received the same message, right down to the: “EVERY SINGLE DAY.”

And Puerto Ricans? They “want everything to be done for them,” Trump has tweeted. “We cannot keep FEMA, the Military & the First Responders, who have been amazing (under the most difficult circumstances) in P.R. forever!”

www.nytimes.com/2017/10/13/opinion/puerto-rico-florida-texas-hurricane
.html


The message out of Washington amounts to a doctrine of personal responsibility and culpability applied only to Puerto Rico and its people, not the other areas of the United States affected by recent storms.

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