The First Rule of Being a Colonial Exploiter: Know Your Colonies

I am sitting here after work, trying to unwind while I wait for the results in Ohio, Texas, hoping Obama wins...and my blood pressure went way up when my sister shared with me the article below. Basically, a politician in Orlando, Florida, home to almost 300,000 Boricuas, said that we are "foreign citizens." WTF??!?! Is this the one nation in history who is so fucking ignorant that they do not realize that A. they have colonies, and B. if they do, they do not know the most basic information about said colonies!! If I had a dime for every time someone educated, mind you, asked me about my citizenship, the currency we use, and other such stupid questions, I would be rocking a heinous comb-over and a smirk, that's right Donald Trump wealthy.

By the way Ginny Brown-Waite really is the actual name of the racist and stupid U.S. Representative though it sounds almost like a camp pseudonym for a bi-racial drag queen, right?

Here is the article:

Víctor Manuel Ramos | Sentinel Staff Writer
February 29, 2008

BROOKSVILLE — Ginny Brown-Waite, the U.S. representative who sparked controversy by calling Puerto Ricans "foreign citizens," was criticized again Thursday for telling a group of protesters to go to the local aquatic park "if the group needs to cool off."

Dozens of Puerto Ricans from Orlando and other parts of the state converged on Brooksville's small downtown Thursday morning to speak against the congresswoman who had offended them by referring to people from the U.S. territory as "foreign citizens."

Brown-Waite was not at her district office when the protesters arrived, but she left a written statement that offered them "a warm welcome," then suggested that "if the group needs to cool off" they should go watch the mermaids at Weeki Wachee — an invitation protesters said they found offensive and dismissive of their concerns.

"I recommend that they head down the road to Weeki Wachee for a fun afternoon at our water park," Brown-Waite said in her statement, adding: "It is disappointing that the Orlando partisan race hustlers who traveled to Hernando County today have chosen to continue the politics of division."

Brown-Waite, a Republican, also characterized the participation of Democrats in the rally as engaging in "race-based hysteria."

"She is insulting when she [tells] us to go down to Weeki Wachee, as if we were kids," said José A. Fernández, a rally organizer who is president of the Orange County chapter of the Democratic Hispanic Caucus of Florida.

"We are not kids. We are all grown-ups and we are very serious about what we are doing, and she should take it seriously too."

The crowd of about 70 protesters — mostly Puerto Ricans and some African-American supporters — said Thursday's comments by Brown-Waite added insult to injury. Brown-Waite initially angered Puerto Ricans when her office issued a news release in January about Congress' economic-stimulus package. In the process she called the people of Puerto Rico and Guam — both U.S. territories whose residents are U.S. citizens — "foreign citizens."

"She needs to get her facts straight. She needs to understand that we are not going to be her whipping boys or girls," said Samuel López, a Melbourne activist and a protest organizer.

Protesters marched down Brooksville's Main Street, stopping before the congresswoman's office as they shouted ¡Viva Puerto Rico! and "Ginny Waite has gotta go!" They also carried American and Puerto Rican flags, sang patriotic Puerto Rican hymns and carried signs with various versions of the same message: Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens.

"This movement is a movement for respect," Ralph Morales, an activist from New York, told the crowd.

He cited the community's political strength, with more than 600,000 Puerto Ricans living in Florida. More than 280,000 live in Metro Orlando. "We have the capacity to change the political scene in the state of Florida," Morales said.

A sole counter-protester shouted the demonstration was "much ado about nothing!"

The man, who identified himself as A.M. Sevier of Brooksville, told protesters they had no claim in his town.

"They are a territory. How many states are there? Fifty. Are they one of them? No," Sevier said.

López said the protest was just the beginning, and predicted more demonstrations of Puerto Ricans' political power.

Víctor Manuel Ramos can be reached at vramos@orlandosentinel.com or 407-420-6186.

'Viva Puerto Rico'

See video of the protest by Puerto Ricans on Thursday near the Brooksville office of U.S. Rep. Ginny Brown-Waite: OrlandoSentinel.com/politicalpulse

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http://www.orlandosentinel.com/orl-prprotest2908feb29,0,2090041.story