[CPEO-MEF] Vieques Report

[rhoover@smithhulsey.com]

I for one am tired of Robert's rhetoric and find it disturbing that he
should fail to mention some facts:

	1.  The arrests were conducted peacefully following negotiations
between both sides.
	
	2.  A condition of "surrender" imposed by the protesters was that
they had to be handcuffed.

	3.  Some protesters even prepared themselves for the news cameras
prior to being handcuffed.

	4.  One "hold out" who chained himself inside a tank was a
professional protester.

	5.  At least one protester was arrested yesterday after he attempted
to re-enter the range.

	6.  Supporters did not mass in the streets of America, as predicted
prior to the removal operation.

If Robert is truly concerned about the health and welfare of the people of
Vieques, he should stop using inflammatory language like:

	"selective punishment to provoke and justify aggression against us"
-- What aggression?

	"kidnapped for ten hours"  -- The protesters were taken into custody
under lawful authority.

	"community under siege" --  The guards are protecting US government
property to keep him from re-entering.

	"crime of sustaining their families" --  The Coast Guard is
protecting areas that are restricted, and to keep him from re-entering.

	"military physicists in space suits" -- The "space suits" were
commercially available personal protective suits used by fire departments
around the world.

	"life and death struggle" --  Needs no comment.

I support a peaceful resolution of the problems associated with
Navy-Vieques co-existence.  Moreover, the governments of Puerto Rico and
the Unites States have negotiated an agreement that needs to be put to a
vote.  Lets get onto the people's decision and move forward to a vote, lets
move forward to a resolution and away from a "struggle",  lets stop bias
reporting from Camp Peace and move forward toward responsible representation.

The reality is that the US government has a plan to move the Navy from
Vieques that does not meet Robert's timetable.  Instead of working with the
government to implement an acceptable timeline, he has chosen to direct his
energies in a way that will only prolong and delay the process.  Instead of
working with the government to address environmental remediation issues, he
has chosen to incite unrest that is counterproductive.  Instead of working
with the government to find acceptable solutions to the problem, he has
chosen to exact unobtainable standards that are a disservice to those he
represents.

The time has come for responsible leadership on behalf of the people of
Vieques.  Hopefully, Robert and others can aspire to that position.  We
need him to be part of the solution, rather than part of the problem.

Reynold N. Hoover



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