Sunday
May252008
Clinton clemency to Puerto Rican Nationalists a non-issue to Media in Puerto Rico Primary
Sunday, May 25, 2008 at 12:42PM
From the Politico [HERE]
By Ben Adler
Puerto Rico, the U.S. territory scheduled to hold a closely watched Democratic presidential primary June 1, is unaccustomed to cutting such a high-profile role in presidential politics. Indeed, you have to look back roughly a decade to find the last time Puerto Rico played a starring role in mainland politics — the summer of 1999, when President Bill Clinton drew sharp criticism by offering clemency to 16 imprisoned Puerto Rican nationalists who belonged to an organization responsible for more than 100 bombings in the U.S. and Puerto Rico between 1974 and 1983. At the time, Clinton was accused of attempting to curry favor with the large Puerto Rican community in New York, where Hillary Rodham Clinton was preparing to run for an open Senate seat. In response, the Republican-controlled House overwhelmingly passed a resolution stating, “President Clinton should not have offered or granted clemency to the FALN terrorists.” The political backlash proved severe enough that Mrs. Clinton, then the first lady, ended up publicly opposing her husband’s offer, saying she had nothing to do with it. Yet for all the controversy surrounding the episode, nary a word is heard about it as Clinton and Barack Obama battle for the 63 delegates at stake in Puerto Rico’s primary.
“It’s a highly charged issue, but it has not been an issue in Puerto Rico [this year] because it is pretty far back and there has been a desire to get past that conflict,” said Kenneth McClintock, president of the Senate in Puerto Rico and co-chairman of Clinton’s campaign there.
“No one has raised it, and I don’t think it will be raised,” agreed Jean Vidal Font, a lawyer in Puerto Rico and chairman of the local chapter of Generation Obama, a youth volunteer movement for Obama’s campaign. “A lot of people in Puerto Rico do not support what those people did, but they do believe the lengthy sentences were unjust. So they would rather just not talk about it.”
Nor would the Democratic candidates, neither of whom would have much to gain by revisiting the controversy.In Clinton’s case, it would serve as a reminder of an episode she would rather forget. Back then, she was whipsawed between Puerto Rican leaders who were angered by her opposition to clemency and Republicans who viewed the clemency offer as a crass political maneuver designed to benefit her impending Senate campaign.
Asked to comment on the role the clemency affair might have in the Puerto Rico primary, Clinton spokesman Isaac Baker sidestepped the issue.
“Puerto Ricans share the concerns of all voters — turning this economy around, keeping our neighborhoods safe and providing quality health care to every Puerto Rican,” he wrote in an e-mail. “They know Hillary has the strength and experience to deliver real solutions to the challenges facing Puerto Rico.”
Vidal Font says the clemency issue has no effect on his candidate preference because he does not credit Hillary with her husband’s actions. “I don’t feel any pull to Hillary because of the clemency,” he said. “I do think Bill Clinton did a good thing in granting clemency. But the loyalty would be to him rather than her.”
He added that while he disapproved of Hillary Clinton’s clemency opposition, her stance on it was not a decisive factor for him. “It did bother me that she disagreed with him because those people were serving unjustly long sentences, but my mind had already been made up for Obama when I found out that she had come out against it.”
While Puerto Rican surrogates for both candidates downplay the relevance of the clemency issue, President Clinton’s record on Puerto Rico — and Hillary Clinton’s as first lady — still looms large over the primary, where she holds a healthy lead in polls.
“She was here as first lady after Hurricane Georges,” noted Francisco Domenech, Democratic national committeeman for the Young Democrats of America and a Clinton supporter. Domenech praised her “extensive record on Puerto Rico,” adding that as a senator she worked to stop the naval bombing on the Puerto Rican island of Vieques.
Puerto Rican Clinton supporters also cite Bill Clinton’s creation of the Community Oriented Policing Services program, which provided funding for many new police officers in Puerto Rico. Hillary Clinton has pledged to restore COPS funding cut by President Bush.
But Obama supporters, such as Vidal Font, have turned the Clinton administration record against Hillary Clinton, noting that President Clinton cut tax credits to companies that do business in Puerto Rico — a move that some say hurt the local economy.
By Ben Adler
Puerto Rico, the U.S. territory scheduled to hold a closely watched Democratic presidential primary June 1, is unaccustomed to cutting such a high-profile role in presidential politics. Indeed, you have to look back roughly a decade to find the last time Puerto Rico played a starring role in mainland politics — the summer of 1999, when President Bill Clinton drew sharp criticism by offering clemency to 16 imprisoned Puerto Rican nationalists who belonged to an organization responsible for more than 100 bombings in the U.S. and Puerto Rico between 1974 and 1983. At the time, Clinton was accused of attempting to curry favor with the large Puerto Rican community in New York, where Hillary Rodham Clinton was preparing to run for an open Senate seat. In response, the Republican-controlled House overwhelmingly passed a resolution stating, “President Clinton should not have offered or granted clemency to the FALN terrorists.” The political backlash proved severe enough that Mrs. Clinton, then the first lady, ended up publicly opposing her husband’s offer, saying she had nothing to do with it. Yet for all the controversy surrounding the episode, nary a word is heard about it as Clinton and Barack Obama battle for the 63 delegates at stake in Puerto Rico’s primary.
“It’s a highly charged issue, but it has not been an issue in Puerto Rico [this year] because it is pretty far back and there has been a desire to get past that conflict,” said Kenneth McClintock, president of the Senate in Puerto Rico and co-chairman of Clinton’s campaign there.
“No one has raised it, and I don’t think it will be raised,” agreed Jean Vidal Font, a lawyer in Puerto Rico and chairman of the local chapter of Generation Obama, a youth volunteer movement for Obama’s campaign. “A lot of people in Puerto Rico do not support what those people did, but they do believe the lengthy sentences were unjust. So they would rather just not talk about it.”
Nor would the Democratic candidates, neither of whom would have much to gain by revisiting the controversy.In Clinton’s case, it would serve as a reminder of an episode she would rather forget. Back then, she was whipsawed between Puerto Rican leaders who were angered by her opposition to clemency and Republicans who viewed the clemency offer as a crass political maneuver designed to benefit her impending Senate campaign.
Asked to comment on the role the clemency affair might have in the Puerto Rico primary, Clinton spokesman Isaac Baker sidestepped the issue.
“Puerto Ricans share the concerns of all voters — turning this economy around, keeping our neighborhoods safe and providing quality health care to every Puerto Rican,” he wrote in an e-mail. “They know Hillary has the strength and experience to deliver real solutions to the challenges facing Puerto Rico.”
Vidal Font says the clemency issue has no effect on his candidate preference because he does not credit Hillary with her husband’s actions. “I don’t feel any pull to Hillary because of the clemency,” he said. “I do think Bill Clinton did a good thing in granting clemency. But the loyalty would be to him rather than her.”
He added that while he disapproved of Hillary Clinton’s clemency opposition, her stance on it was not a decisive factor for him. “It did bother me that she disagreed with him because those people were serving unjustly long sentences, but my mind had already been made up for Obama when I found out that she had come out against it.”
While Puerto Rican surrogates for both candidates downplay the relevance of the clemency issue, President Clinton’s record on Puerto Rico — and Hillary Clinton’s as first lady — still looms large over the primary, where she holds a healthy lead in polls.
“She was here as first lady after Hurricane Georges,” noted Francisco Domenech, Democratic national committeeman for the Young Democrats of America and a Clinton supporter. Domenech praised her “extensive record on Puerto Rico,” adding that as a senator she worked to stop the naval bombing on the Puerto Rican island of Vieques.
Puerto Rican Clinton supporters also cite Bill Clinton’s creation of the Community Oriented Policing Services program, which provided funding for many new police officers in Puerto Rico. Hillary Clinton has pledged to restore COPS funding cut by President Bush.
But Obama supporters, such as Vidal Font, have turned the Clinton administration record against Hillary Clinton, noting that President Clinton cut tax credits to companies that do business in Puerto Rico — a move that some say hurt the local economy.
Reader Comments (1)
Puerto Ricans, who desire to be free, must always know that the federal government, here in the states has no “subject matter jurisdiction” over the person, case or location and should be challenged to proof it.
All jury members, judges, attorneys, and employees working in federal court, must reside in federal territory to be a federal juror or touch your case or they can be commercially sued, disbarred and financially ruined for violating your constitutional rights etc.
Your god given right to be free is not wanted by the USA, it will oppose your desire for independence and freedom.
The USA has been the biggest alien invaders the world has ever known. In order to win your freedom you must oppose them by knowing that their weakness lies in the constitution and the common law and common law remedies.
To win --You must always reserve your constitutional, commercial rights and know what they are.
The majority of Anglos have no idea that the USA has killed more Latins, than Hitler Killed Jews, The USA has supported traitors, Gringitos, Butchers, Sociopaths, and Megalomaniacs who were supported and kept in power by sucking up to the Anglo Alien Invaders.
Latin America has had enough of this form of genocide of Latinos.
I want to vomit every time some ignorant fools says: “If you don’t like it here –go home”.
If the Alien Invaders would get out of each and every Latin Country and stop interfering in our affairs—it would make sense to say such a stupid thing. But unless the Snakes get out of Latin America-we have just as much right to be here!!!
A Puerto Rican without a desire for independence has no soul of a man.
The fact that the public does not know that we are NOT free, makes no difference, to the desire to be free. The PR that wants statehood is a Gringito, who has no soul of a man left in his traitor's heart. Freedom is happening all over the world and yet we allow Gringitos to kill our right to be free.
We allow the Alien Invaders to kill, harm, abuse and scam us and yet the Gringito wants to give our Country away.
This abuse must end. No man or woman is a real Man or real woman who is too scared to fight for their souls and be free.
The fight will NOT succeed if you don't fight the enemy at home first. He is there next door and claims he is a real man and tries to give you many excuses of why PR can't be a free Country.
If you listen, you will lose your soul.
The Ronbothunter,
Ex-scientologist and a proud freedom loving Puerto Rican.
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