27.7.10

There Truly Is A Dark Side

The recent and much talked about bank robbery in Long Island, New York, this past week by a man in a Darth Vader custom confirms that the leading and loudest voice in American everyday life is not the voice of politics, but the voice of entertainment. Entertainment, in all its spheres, has such a vital role in the shaping of our cultural minds that one seldom stops to think about its long lasting effects.

There’s a reason or several reasons why the bank robber in case decided to use the disguise he used in his very serious attempt at bank robbery. I wonder how long must he have been thinking about the hold up before actually implementing it? Did he have several customs from which to pick? Which one would have serve the purpose best? Which one would give him the most bang for his buck? No doubt, in deciding to don Vader’s suit, something would have to be surrendered in order to give the robbery more credibility. Alas, no light saber! A handgun would have have to suffice since sometimes reality gets in the way.

It was the handgun more than the custom that made the crime a success. A light saber, had it been possible to use one, would have been the “wow weapon”, but I believe the robber would have still chosen the lethal weapon he used. There’s little resistance to such things and the custom was just a mere disguise. Yet, let us not dismiss the significance of that unequivocal suit.

For over thirty years, our collective psyche has associated that custom with evil, with “The Empire” and “The Dark Side”. The fact that the perpetrator decided to show up as Darth Vader says to us more than a few things, loud and clear. I’ll limit myself to two of them. On one side, it does say that when people decide to commit crimes they can get pretty creative and funny too. (Nothing funny about a hold up, mind you. Just look at the guy behind Vader.) On the other, it also says there truly is something called the Dark Side, something so obscure within us - not outside - it permeates our whole being and consciousness; it permeates our relationships with one another bringing about the sad consequences we see in our world today; and ultimately, it permeates our relationship with God.

I’m pretty sure there have been millions of Vader customs worn by big and small, young and old alike since the Stars Wars saga broke the scene. What I do not know is if this is the first recorded time a Darth Vader custom has been used not on Halloween or Hollywood Boulevard, but at a bank to commit a crime punishable by federal law. Darth Vader doesn’t come across as entertaining at all in that context. And I feel sorry for George Lucas who probably never thought that Vader would come out of the safe haven of his entertainment universe and intersect his non-entertainment one with much gusto and success. I dare say it was only a matter of time. There truly is a Dark Side, my friends, and it exists in the right here and the right now.

However, to put it in Star Wars lingo, the Force also exists in the right here and the right now. In God’s economy, it’s called his love. It’s the only thing capable of taking our Dark-Sideness and turning it upside down. It is God’s love that has the power to infuse with his perfect light all that is dark in us; everything that keeps us blind and far from him. And that love has been demonstrated fully, perfectly, once and for all in Jesus Christ his only son. So good bye, Death Star.

13.7.10

Oración de Serenidad / Serenity Prayer by Reinhold Niebuhr

DIOS, concédeme la serenidad
para aceptar las cosas que no puedo cambiar,
el valor para cambiar las cosas que sí puedo cambiar
y la sabiduría para conocer la diferencia.
Viviendo un día a la vez,
disfrutando un momento a la vez;
aceptando la dificultad como el camino hacia la paz;
Tomando, como lo hizo Jesús, este mundo pecador tal y como es,
y no como me gustaría que fuera.
Confiando que Tú harás que todo salga bien
si me entrego a Tu voluntad;
De modo que pueda ser razonablemente feliz en esta vida
y sumamente feliz contigo por siempre en la próxima.
Amén.

GOD, grant me the serenity
to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can;
and wisdom to know the difference.
Living one day at a time;
Enjoying one moment at a time;
Accepting hardships as the pathway to peace;
Taking, as He did, this sinful world
as it is, not as I would have it;
Trusting that He will make all things right
if I surrender to His Will;
That I may be reasonably happy in this life
and supremely happy with Him forever in the next.
Amen.

2.7.10

LA EXPLOSIVA SITUACIÓN POLÍTICA DE PUERTO RICO

URGENTE. URGENTE. URGENTE.
PARA DIFUSIÓN INMEDIATA.
NOTICIA PARA EL MUNDO. 


LA EXPLOSIVA SITUACIÓN POLÍTICA
 DE PUERTO RICO

Son las 5:00 de la tarde del día 30 de junio de 2010, grupos de estudiantes, profesores y ciudadanos pidieron entrada a la Casa de las Leyes y fueron golpeados y torturados por la Polícia, hay numerosos heridos, mientras se moviliza la Guardia Nacional hacia el Capitolio. Choques violentos se esparcen por toda la zona del Parlamento y las represiones continúan.
Un golpe de estado constitucional acaba de consolidarse en Puerto Rico.
Tras un año de que el actual gobierno del Partido Nuevo Progresista (PNP, partido que busca la anexión de Puerto Rico a los Estados Unidos), intentara y lograra exitosamente la toma de varias instituciones que sostienen el gobierno democrático de Puerto Rico, un ambiente de hostilidad seguido por temerarias acciones retadoras de la paz pública, han desembocado en acciones violentas y agresivas del actual gobierno, tanto contra los partidos de oposición, como del movimiento estudiantil organizado, los sindicatos, la prensa, así como de todos los sectores de la sociedad civil puertorriqueña.
Esta toma del control constitucional procede de la Rama Legislativa bajo la autoridad del Senador Lcdo. Thomas Rivera Schatz, apoyada por el gobierno central bajo el mando del Secretario de la Gobernación, el Lcdo. Marcos Rodríguez Ema, con el obvio propósito de tener a su disposición y sin disputa, el control de todos los organismos rectores judiciales, universitarios, económicos y civiles. Ante este panorama, el actual Gobernador, Lcdo. Luis Fortuño, funciona sin voluntad, sin opinión y sin presencia ni responsabilidad pública.
Con el control del Tribunal Supremo de Puerto Rico, la Junta de Síndicos de la Universidad de Puerto Rico, el pretendido control de los medios de comunicación, entre muchos otros, se atenta contra la genuina participación del pueblo puertorriqueño en todos los procesos democráticos protegidos por su Carta de Derechos.
Los incidentes comenzaron con el despido de más 20,000 empleados públicos con el pretexto de aliviar el gigantismo gubernamental y resolver el gravísimo déficit fiscal del país. Esta decisión ha provocado el caos económico, ha empeorado la prestación de servicios públicos y ha provocado la desesperanza en todas las familias puertorriqueñas. De la misma forma se instauró una grave persecución contra los institutos artísticos del país, estrangulando sus presupuestos y de esta manera evitar la propagación del arte como disidencia. Mientras el Gobierno favorecía con contratos de cantidades obscenas, a cientos de asesores, contratistas, y cabilderos asociados a su partido.
Continuaron los ataques con el nombramiento al Tribunal Supremo de cuatro Jueces afiliados y militantes al partido del poder logrando con ello la mayoría a favor del gobierno de todas las decisiones que por votación individual se hicieran en ese foro. Luego continuó con la eliminación y represión de la participación estudiantil en los procesos universitarios, la supresión de derechos de exención de matricula de atletas, artistas, entre otros, mientras obligó a los estudiantes de los 11 recintos universitarios del estado a declarar una Huelga que duró 60 días. Los estudiantes en Huelga lograron negociar a través de un tribunal de primera instancia, sin embargo, los referidos compromisos fueron invalidados por el Secretario de la Gobernación quien dijo que los acuerdos “no valen el papel en que están escritos”.
Este hecho precedió a la acción del gobierno central y del Senado de proponer un proyecto de Ley, aprobado en cuestión de horas, para aumentar cuatro miembros más a la Junta de Síndicos. Dichos miembros son incondicionales del partido en el poder. Los estudiantes universitarios de la universidad del estado, cuya vasta mayoría dependen de la beca de estudios federal, se enfrentan a una cuota anual recurrente de $800 dólares. Cuota que no pueden pagar y que se negarán a pagar obligados nuevamente a la consecuente Huelga. De esta manera, la administración central de la UPR arriesga la acreditación de la Universidad y podrá privatizar sus activos. En esta misma dirección, el Gobierno de Puerto Rico venderá los terrenos donde se ubica la zona del llamado “Karso” del Noroeste, que recoge un tercio de los abastos de agua de todo el país, para entregarlo a manos privadas que construirán un expreso de peaje sobre la referida zona, rica ecológicamente.
Pasando por alto muchos otros acontecimientos, el Presupuesto del país fue aprobado, junto con innumerables leyes que favorecen la privatización, la descolegiación profesional, así como la repartición de fondos públicos a manos privadas sin tomar en cuenta las necesarias y obligadas vistas públicas de participación ciudadana, y apagando los micrófonos de las bancas del Partido de Oposición de manera despótica.
Los incidentes lograron un punto climático cuando esta pasada semana, el FBI (Federal Bureau of Investigation de los Estados Unidos) arresta por cargos de soborno, venta de influencias y otros a un senador del PNP, el senador Héctor Martínez, mano derecha del Senador Rivera Schatz. Una pugna pública salta a las noticias entre Rivera Schatz y este cuerpo federal castrense, en defensa de la supuesta inocencia del senador Martínez, quien ha sido asociado al narcotráfico y quien fuera grabado en medio de su acto de soborno. Como último de los muchos incidentes de violencia y temeridad del Presidente Senatorial, se censuró mediante la fuerza la entrada de los periodistas a las sesiones del Senado, privando al pueblo puertorriqueño de la discusión que se realizó sobre el presupuesto del país. Los incidentes llegaron a la violencia verbal y física entre senadores, y han elevado la indignación del país a un punto insostenible de ansiedad y rabia.
El Lcdo. Thomas Rivera Schatz ha tomado virtual control del país con sus actitudes tiránicas y fascistas, y no se descarta que desde sus mismas gradas se inicien esta semana procesos de persecución y violencia contra otros sectores del país, apoyados por el Secretario de la Gobernación de Puerto Rico.
Son las 5:00 de la tarde del día 30 de junio de 2010, grupos de estudiantes, profesores y ciudadanos pidieron entrada a la Casa de las Leyes y fueron golpeados y torturados por la Polícia, hay numerosos heridos, mientras se moviliza la Guardia Nacional hacia el Capitolio. Choques violentos se esparcen por toda la zona del Parlamento y las represiones continúan.
Este control de facto del poder político en la Nación Puertorriqueña viola todos los más elementales principios de la democracia y del gobierno participativo, por lo que enteramos al mundo de la actual situación de violencia contenida que existe en nuestro pueblo y que está a punto de estallar contra estos dos políticos que han tomado por asalto el poder del país. Aún cuando en Puerto Rico no existen las condiciones para un levantamiento armado popular por la obvia desigualdad de las fuerzas en pugna, una revolución de afirmación cultural y estudiantil comienza a tomar las calles y a rescatar los espacios robados por los autores de este golpe.
Exhortamos a todos los medios de comunicación del mundo a que den noticia de la actual situación de la Nación Puertorriqueña y solicitamos por ende su completa solidaridad.

Redactado por Roberto Ramos-Perea, dramaturgo puertorriqueño.
(Con la activa colaboración, comentarios y apoyo de más de un centenar de ciudadanos puertorriqueños.)
Comunicados PR <pr.comunicados@gmail.com>

______
ENGLISH TEXT
URGENT. URGENT.URGENT.

IMPORTANT NEWS TO DIVULGE TROUGHOUT THE WORLD. 
EXPLOSIVE POLITICAL SITUATION IN PUERTO RICO

It is 5:00 of the evening of June 30, 2010, groups of students, teachers and citizens asked for entry to the House of the Laws and they were struck and tortured by the Police, there are numerous injured people, while the National Guard is mobilized towards the Capitol Hill. Violent shocks scatter for the whole zone of the Parliament and the repressions continue.

A constitutional coup has just been established in Puerto Rico.
After a year in which the present time government under the New Progressive Party (Partido Nuevo Progresista, that attempts to join the Island to the United States trough statehood) tried to and succeeded taking over many institutions that form the base of the democratic government of Puerto Rico, an atmosphere of hostility followed by many reckless actions that threaten public peace had climaxed in violent and aggressive actions of this government against the parties of the opposition, the organized student movement, the labor unions, the press, the environment, as against every area and institution of Puerto Rico’s civil society.

This constitutional coup springs from the Legislative branch of the government under the command of Senator Thomas Rivera Schatz, endorsed by the central government, under the dominance of the Secretary Governor, counselor Marcos Rodríguez Ema, with the obvious intent of having under their grasp and without opposition full control of every agency and organization that rule the judiciary, academic, economic and civil societies. Before this scenario, Governor Luis Fortuño operates without volition, has no opinion, appearance nor public responsibility.

With the complete control of the High Court of Puerto Rico, the University of Puerto Rico Board of trustees, and the alleged control of the news media, among many others, the genuine participation of the People of Puerto Rico in all democratic processes protected by our Constitution is jeopardized.

The events started (trough the rush approval of Law 7 by the Legislature) with more than 20,000 public employee lay-offs, with the allegation that this would alleviate the gigantism of the government and would find the solution of the serious public deficit, that has never been properly evidenced. This decision has caused economical chaos, public services are worse than ever and it has generated despair and gloominess in every Puertorrican family. In this same guise there exists a serious persecution against all artistic institutions of the country, strangling their budgets, trying with this actions to avoid the propagation of art as dissidence. This, while the government favors contracts of obscene sums with hundreds of advisors, contractors and lobbyists associated with their own political party.

The attacks continued in the form of the appointment to the High Court of four Judges with a well known affiliation with, and militancy for the governing political party, achieving a majority of votes in favor of the actual government on all decisions made in this Forum, on individual basis. The government went on repressing and eliminating student participation on the procedures of the State University, suppressing tuition exemption rights for outstanding athletes and artists, among others; forcing the students from all eleven campuses of the University of Puerto Rico to declare a strike that lasted 60 days, generating ample support from the people of Puerto Rico and around the world.

The students on strike were successful on their achieving their demands trough negotiations that involved a First Instance Court and an appointed negotiator; however, these accords were are trying to be invalidated by Secretary of government Rodríguez Ema who said that these accords “are not worth the paper in which they were written”

This event preceded the Central government’s action of proposing a hasty law, that was signed with no revision within hours, adding four additional members to the Board of trustees of the University of Puerto Rico. These additions to the Board are unconditional members of the governing political party The students of the State university, who on a great majority depend in Federal grants, now face an annual recurring fee of $800.00, fee they will not be able to pay and that they will not pay, forcing the students to return to their strike. With this strategy, the Central government risk the accreditation of the State University and as a consequence, the government would be able to privatize it’s assets.

Following this same direction, the government of Puerto Rico will attempt to sell and to divide for speculation a strip of land where stands the Karst formation, on the northwest of the Island. This area collects one third of our water supplies for the entire population; nonetheless, the government intends to put this area into private hands that would build a toll expressway over this zone that is rich ecologically and economically.

Passing up many other events, the budget of Puerto Rico was approved, together with countless laws which favor privatization, the dissolving of professional associations and the distribution of public funds into private hands, without the pertaining and compulsory hearings of public participation, reaching the extreme of turning off the microphones of the opposing political party members, in a despotic fashion.

The events climaxed last week when the FBI in Puerto Rico arrested Senator Héctor Martínez, NPP, on charges of bribe, the selling of influences and other charges. Martinez is Senator’s Rivera Schatz right hand on the Senate. A public squabble reached the news between the Senator and the FBI, with the Seantor fending the alleged innocence of Senator Martínez,, who has been directly associated with drug traffic and who was filmed while committing bribery.

Then, last in his many violent and reckless acts, the president of the Senate, Rivera Schatz, using force and a real padlock, censored the access of the cameras and the news media to the Senate sessions, depriving the People of Puerto Rico of direct information about the discussions and voting sessions that were taking place about this year’s budget and other matter). The events resulted in verbal and physical violence between senators, rising indignation between the people to a point of and almost unsustainable state of outrage and wrath.

Counselor Rivera Schatz has taken virtual control of the country with his tyrannical and fascist ways; and it cannot be discarded that from these same seats, this same week, acts of persecution and acts of violence will be started against other sectors of the People, all approved by the Secretary Governor of Puerto Rico.

It is 5:00 of the evening of June 30, 2010, groups of students, teachers and citizens asked for entry to the House of the Laws and they were struck and tortured by the Police, there are numerous injured people, while the National Guard is mobilized towards the Capitol Hill. Violent shocks scatter for the whole zone of the Parliament and the repressions continue.

This factual deed of control of the political power from within the Puertorrican Nation violates all elementary principles of democracy and of participation of the People in the government, for which we proclaim to the World the actual situation of contained violence that exists in our People and that is about to explode against these two politicians that had taken by assault the power in our Country. Even though in Puerto Rico there are no conditions for an armed struggle of the People because of the obvious disparity of the opposing sides, a revolution of cultural and of student affirmation is starting to take the streets and to retrieve the spaces stolen away by the originators of this coup.

We exhortat all communications media of the World to divulge and expose the current situation of the Puertorrican Nation and we ask of you, therefore, your total solidarity.

Composed by Roberto Ramos-Perea, Puerto Rican Playwriter
(With the active collaboration, comments and support of more than a hundred Puertorrican citizens.) 
Comunicados PR <pr.comunicados@gmail.com>