petition re US Army bases in Puerto Rico

Please do not delete this petition; if you haven't the time to read
it, please append your name and pass it along to those who
might.
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                                                       April 22, 1999

       On April 19, 1999, American F-18 fighter planes, on a routine
bombing maneuver over the island of Vieques (a small island of
approximately 8,000 inhabitants 7 miles off the SE coast of
Puerto Rico belonging to the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico), dropped "by
mistake" two five-hundred pound bombs on a guard-post on Camp Garcia,
US Navy.  The incident resulted in the death of David Sanes, a security

guard employed by a private company, and the wounding of four
others, whose names have not yet been released.  The four individuals
wounded are being hospitalized at Fort Roosevelt (Puerto Rico),
and the US Navy refuses to comment on their condition.

       This tragedy is only the latest incident in a history of US Naval

presence on Vieques that extends back to the early 1940's, when the
Navy expropriated 26,000 acres of land, more than 72 percent of
the island's total area.  This land was stolen primarily to use for
artillery drills, bombing exercises, and munitions storage.  The
effects of this expropriation were devastating to the local
population.  The Playa Grande Sugar Mill, the center of the
island's modest economy, was forced to close, and a severe social and
economic crisis ensued.  The US Interior Department planned to
alleviate  this crisis by relocating the island's entire population to
Saint Croix, US Virgin Islands, and granting control of the remaining
territory to the Navy.  Fierce opposition quelled these plans, and every

additional attempt at relocation over the course of twenty years.  In
1964, the residents of Barrio Esperanza, on Vieques's south coast,
organized
opposition to stop the last forcible effort to relocate the remaining
population.

       Opposition hasn't been limited to a defensive posture, however.
The residents of Vieques have banded together in a number of
aggressive efforts to halt the US Military's exploitation of the
island.  Fishermen of Vieques have demonstrated repeatedly
against bombing and against restrictions limiting their use of the sea.

There have been numerous demonstrations to raise public awareness to
the catastrophic ecological consequences of the Navy's island
operations. In 1983, the Governor of Puerto Rico, Carlos Romero, added
his own voice to the popular opposition by issuing formal charges
against the Navy for ecological damage caused to Vieques.  Today, in
the wake of this senseless bombing, the demonstrations continue.  The
island's population has vowed to stage continuous protest, and the
fishermen have said that they will fish in restricted waters.

       The Mayor of Vieques, Manuela Santiago, has drafted a "cease
and desist" resolution to permanently halt all military operations
on the island.  This resolution, once passed by the Vieques Municipal
Assembly, will serve as the consummate declaration of collective
opposition to American Military presence on the island.  Please
voice your support for the struggle of Vieques by:

1.  Appending your name to this petition to President William
Clinton and Secretary of Defense William Cohen.

2.  Forwarding this petition to as many individuals as possible.

If your name on the petition is #50, #100, #150 ... please
return it to:
                      zekeschnee@hotmail.com

                              or

                      yarelis7@hotmail.com


Petition to:  The President of the United States of America,
William Clinton, and US Secretary of Defense, William Cohen.

We, the undersigned, are outraged at American Naval operations
on the island of Vieques.  The more than five decade long use of 72
percent of the island for artillery drills, bombing exercises, and
storage of munitions has ravaged the environment, has dislocated the
island's population, and has now resulted in loss of human life.  In
accordance with Vieques Mayor Manuela Santiago's resolution, we
petition  that the US Navy cease and desist all operations on the island

of Vieques.

Note:  It is best if you highlight the text in its entirety and copy
it onto a new outgoing message, add your name to the bottom of
the list, then send it on.  Thanks.

1. Kevin Hoffman, San Diego, CA
2. Aned Yarelis Muniz Gracia, Corozal, PR
3. Dr. Rev. Thomas Marshall, Santa Cruz, CA
4. Alba Yarimar Muniz Gracia, Corozal, PR
5. Freddie Marrero, New York, NY
6. Heidi J. Figueroa Sarriera, Trujillo Alto, PR
7. Edwin Ramos Martmnez, Trujillo Alto, PR
8.Alejandro Torres Rivera, Trujillo Alto, PR
9.Victor Ivan Rodriguez Perez , Manati , PR
10. Dr. Hictor L. Pesquera, Bayamsn, PR
11. Josi Escoda, San Juan, Puerto Rico
12. Lyvia Rodrmguez, San Juan, Puerto Rico
13. Marisa Rosado, Puerto Rico
14. Rosaelena Suarez Sierra, Puerto Rico
15.  Karmn Menindez Delmestre, Austria
16. Andris Menindez Raymat
17.Katia Menendez Delmestre
18.MAribel Aviles Burgos
19.Eng. Alex Gonzalez, Ponce, Puerto Rico
20. Engineer, Haxel Estavillo,  Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico
21. Juan C. Portela, M.D.  Vega Baja Puerto Rico
22. Eneida Medina Cano, Vega Baja, Puerto Rico
23. Carlos R. Cabrera Mercader, Cambridge, MA
24. Sonia M. Miranda-Palacios
25. Iris N. Ortiz, Cambridge, MA
26. Brenda L. Martinez Rivera, San Juan, P.R.
27. Jorge E. Rodriguez Rodriguez, Bayamon, Puerto Rico
28. Gladys A. Maldonado, San Juan, PR
29. Jose B. Davila, Mayaguez, PR
30. Susan Posey, Norfolk, VA
31. Patricia Andrea Landolt, Baltimore, MD.
32. Francisco Acosta, Baltimore, MD.
33. Emily Susan Manning, Baltimore, MD.