Na Lawrence Wittner,ʻApelila 29, 2019
mai ka ʻO ke Kauaʻo ia ka hewa
ʻO Vieques kahi mokupuni Puerto Rican liʻiliʻi me kekahi mau kānaka 9,000. Pāʻia e nā lāʻau pāma a me nā kahakai nani, me ke kai kūʻono nani o ka honua a me nā lio hihiu e holoholo ana i nā wahi a pau, eʻoluʻolu ana nā helu nui o nā mākaʻikaʻi. Akā, ma kahi o ʻeono mau makahiki, ua lawelawe ʻo Vieques ma ke ʻano he pōkā pahū, kahua kahua hoʻomaʻamaʻa pūʻali koa, a me nā waihona waiho no ka US Navy, a hiki i ka wā i huhū ʻia ai nā kamaʻāina, hoʻoneʻe ʻia e hoʻopalai, hoʻopakele i ko lākou homeland mai ka paʻa o ka militarism.
E like me ka mokupuni nuiʻo Puerto Rico,ʻo Vieques-kahiʻewalu mile a hiki i ka hikina-ua hoʻomaluʻia no nā kenekulia ma ke ʻano he kolone na Sepania, a hiki i ke kaua Sepania-ʻAmelika o 1898 i hoʻolilo iā Puerto Rico i kolone informal (kahi "ʻāpana aupuni ʻole") o ʻAmelika Hui Pū ʻIa. I ka makahiki 1917, ua lilo ʻo Puerto Ricans (me nā Viequense) i kamaʻāina no ʻAmelika Hui Pū ʻIa, ʻoiai ua nele lākou i ke kuleana e koho balota ai no ko lākou kiaʻāina a hiki i ka makahiki 1947 a i kēia lā e hoʻomau i ka nele i ke kuleana e kū i ka US Congress a i ʻole e koho balota no ka pelekikena US.
I ka wā o ke Kaua Honua II, ke aupuni nui o ʻAmelika, i ka hopohopo e pili ana i ka maluhia o ka moku Caribbean a me ka Canal o Panama, ua hoʻolilo aku i nā ʻāpana nui o ka ʻāina ma ka hikina o Puerto Rico a ma Vieques e kūkulu i kahi pā nui ʻo Roosevelt Roads Naval Station. Ua komo kēia ma kahi o ʻelua hapakolu o ka ʻāina ma Vieques. ʻO ka hopena, ua kipaku ʻia he mau kaukani Viequense mai ko lākou mau home a waiho ʻia i loko o nā māla kō i wāwahi ʻia e ka mokuʻāina i hōʻike ai he mau "palapala hoʻoiho hou."
Ua holo wikiwiki ka moku kaua o US no Vieques i ka makahiki 1947, i ka manawa i koho ai ʻo Roosevelt Roads ma ke ʻano he hoʻonohonoho hoʻomaʻamaʻa kaua a me kahi waiho waihona a ua hoʻomaka ʻo ia e hoʻohana i ka mokupuni no ke kī ʻana i ka hana a me ka hoʻokau ʻana i nā amphibious e nā ʻumi tausani mau luina a me nā koa koa. Ke hoʻonui nei i kāna waiwai i nā ʻekolu hapahā o Vieques, ua hoʻohana ka pūʻali koa i ka ʻāpana komohana no ka mālama ʻana i nā pōkā a me ka ʻāpana hikina no kāna mau pōkā pahū a me nā pāʻani kaua, ʻoiai e hana ana i ka poʻe kamaʻāina i loko o ka ʻāina liʻiliʻi e hoʻokaʻawale ana iā lākou.
Ma nā makahiki i hiki mai, hoʻopahū ka moku kaua iā Vieques mai ka lewa, ka ʻāina, a me ke kai. Ma loko o nā 1980 a me ka 1990, ua hoʻokuʻu ʻia he 1,464 mau tona o nā pōkā i kēlā me kēia makahiki ma ka mokupuni a alakaʻi i nā hoʻomaʻamaʻa hoʻomaʻamaʻa pūʻali koa 180 mau makahiki i kēlā me kēia makahiki. I ka makahiki 1998 wale nō, ua hoʻokuʻu ka pūʻali koa he 23,000 mau pōkā ma Vieques. Ua hoʻohana ʻia ka mokupuni no nā hoʻāʻo o nā mea pepehi lāʻau.
ʻO ka mea maʻamau, no nā Viequense, hana kēia pūʻali koa i kahi ola pō. Kipaku ʻia mai ko lākou mau home a me kā lākou hoʻokele waiwai kuʻuna i ka haehae, ua ʻike lākou i nā mea weliweli o kokoke i ka pōpō. "I ka wā i hele mai ai ka makani mai ka hikina mai, lawe mai ia i ka uahi a me nā puʻu lepo mai kā lākou pae pōkā," i hoʻomanaʻo ai kahi kamaʻāina. "Pahu lākou i kēlā me kēia lā, mai ka 5 o ke kakahiaka a hiki i ka 6 pm. Ua manaʻo ʻia me he wahi kaua lā. Lohe ʻoe. . . ʻewalu a ʻeiwa paha pōkā, a haʻalulu kou hale. ʻO nā mea āpau o kou mau paia, kāu mau kiʻina kiʻi, kāu mau mea hoʻonaninani, aniani, e hāʻule i ka papahele a haki, "a" e hoʻomaka ana ka hale o kāu hale sima. " Hoʻohui ʻia, me ka hoʻokuʻu ʻia ʻana o nā kemikona ʻona i loko o ka lepo, ka wai, a me ka ea, ua hoʻomaka ka ʻeha o ka lehulehu e loaʻa i nā helu ʻoi loa o ka maʻi ʻaʻai a me nā maʻi ʻē aʻe.
ʻO ka hopena,ʻo ka US Navy ua hoʻoholo i ka hopena o ka mokupuni holoʻokoʻa, me nā ala moana, nā ala lele, nā aquifers, a me nā kānāwai zoning i nā koina civila i koe, kahi i noho ai nā kamaʻāina ma lalo o ka hoʻoweliweli mau o ka kipaku ʻia. I ka makahiki 1961, ua hoʻonohonoho maoli ka pūʻali koa i kahi hoʻolālā huna e kāpae i ka heluna lehulehu āpau mai Vieques, me nā mea make i ʻeli ʻia e ʻeli ʻia mai ko lākou mau lua kupapaʻu. Akā ua komo ke kiaʻāina ʻo Puerto Rican ʻo Luis Munoz Marin, a ua pale ʻia e ka Pelekikena US ʻo John F. Kennedy ka Navy mai ka hoʻokō ʻana i kēia papahana.
ʻO nā haunaele lohi lōʻihi ma waena o nā Viequense a me ka navy i paila mai 1978 a 1983. I waenakonu o ka hoʻonui ʻia ʻana o ka pōkā hoʻokele kaua a US a piʻi i luna nā mākaʻi o ka pūʻali koa, ua kū mai kahi neʻe kūʻē kūloko ikaika, alakaʻi ʻia e nā lawaiʻa mokupuni. Hana nā mea hana i ka picketing, nā hōʻike, a me ka hoʻolohe lehulehu kīwī - ʻoi loa, ma ke kau pono ʻana iā lākou iho i ka laina o ke ahi missile, a ʻo ia ka mea e hoʻopilikia ai i nā hana pūʻali koa. I ka lilo ʻana o ka mālama ʻana i ka mokupuni i hōʻino kūloko, ua mālama ka US Congress i ka hoʻolohe ʻana no kēia mea i ka makahiki 1980 a ua paipai ʻia e haʻalele ka pūʻali koa iā Vieques.
Akā ʻo kēia nalu mua o ke kūʻē kūʻē, e pili ana i nā kaukani Viequense a me kā lākou mau mea kākoʻo ma loko o Puerto Rico a me ʻAmelika Hui Pū ʻIa, ʻaʻole i hoʻokau i ka neʻe ʻana o ka moku kaua mai ka mokupuni. I waenakonu o ke Kaua Anuanu, pili paʻa ka pūʻali koa US i kāna hana ma Vieques. Eia kekahi, ʻo ke kaulana i ke kaua kūʻēʻē o nā lāhui ʻōiwi o Puerto Rican, me ka ʻāpana ʻāpana, ua kaupalena ʻia ka hoʻopiʻi ʻana o ka neʻe.
I nā makahiki 1990, eia nō naʻe, ua kū i kahi neʻe kūʻē ākea. Hoʻomaka ma 1993 e ka Komite no ka hoopakele a me ka ulu ana o na waiwai, ua holomua e kū'ē i nā kumukūʻai o ka moku no ka hoʻokomoʻana i kahi pūnaha radar hopena a wehe ma hope o ʻApelila 19, 1999, i ka manawa i hāʻule ʻole ai kahi pailaka moku kaua US he ʻelua mau pōkā he 500 paona ma kahi i manaʻo ʻia he palekana, a ua luku ʻia kahi kanaka kīwī ʻo Viequenses. "Ua hoʻoluliluli kēlā i ka ʻike o ka poʻe o Vieques a me Puerto Ricans i ka nui e like me nā hanana ʻē aʻe," i hoʻomanaʻo ʻo Robert Rabin, kahi alakaʻi nui o ka haunaele. "ʻAneʻane loaʻa koke iā mākou ka lokahi ma waena o nā palena ideological, politika, haipule, a me nā palena ʻāina."
Ke waihoʻana ma hope o ka noi Ka maluhia no nā mea'ē aʻe, ua ulu nui kēia haunaele lehulehu i ka hale pule Katolika a me nā Protestant, a me ka neʻe ʻana o ka hana, nā mea kaulana, nā wahine, nā haumāna o ke kulanui, nā ʻelemakule, a me nā mea hoʻouluulu kūpuna. Ua komo he mau haneli mau tausani mau Puerto Ricans ma loko o Puerto Rico a me nā diaspora, me kahi o 1,500 i hopu ʻia no ka noho ʻana i ka pae pōkā a i ʻole no nā hana kipi kū kīnā ʻole ʻole. I ka wā i kāhea aku ai nā alakaʻi haipule no Malaki no ka maluhia ma Vieques, ua hoʻokahe kekahi mau mea kūʻē 150,000 i nā alanui o San Juan i kahi hōʻike nui loa ma ka moʻolelo o Puerto Rico.
Ke kū nei i kēia ahi ahi kūʻē, ua kūʻē ke aupuni US. I ka makahiki 2003, ʻaʻole wale ka US Navy i hoʻokū iki i ka pōkā, akā ua pani ʻia kona kahua kaua moana ʻo Roosevelt Roads a haʻalele loa iā Vieques.
Me kēia lanakila nui no ka holomua o ka poʻe, ke mau nei ka manaʻo o Vieques nā pilikia nui i kēia lā. Pākuʻi ʻia kēia mau mea i ke keʻena unexploded a me ka haumia nui mai nā metala kaumaha a me nā kemika ʻino i hoʻokuʻu ʻia ma o ke kahe ʻana o kahi kuhi. tiona keneta o nā lako kaua, me uranium pau, ma ka mokupuni liʻiliʻi. A ʻo kahi hopena, ʻo Vieques i kēia manawa he Superfund Site nui, me ka maʻi ʻaʻai a me nā helu maʻi ʻē aʻe nui loa ma mua o ke koena o Pokoliko. Eia kekahi, me ka luku ʻia ʻana o kāna ʻoihana hoʻokele, pilikia ka mokupuni i ka ilihune ākea.
Eia naʻe,ʻaʻohe mea i kāohi houʻia e nā luna o ka moku, me kēia mau pilikia ma o nā hana hoʻomanaʻo hou a me nā papahana hoʻolālā. ʻO ka pāʻani. Rabin, nāna i lawelawe iʻekolu mau paʻahao (e like me hoʻokahi mau malamaʻeono mau) no kāna mau hana kū'ē, ke kuhikuhi nei i kēia Heluheluʻo Mirasol FortKahi hale i lilo i hale paʻahao no nā kauā hoʻokaumaha a me ka hanaʻana i nā kaola kō, ke hāʻawi nei i nā lumi no ka Hale Hōʻikeʻike Vieques, nā hālāwai kaiāulu a me nā hoʻohanohano, nā archive o ka mōʻaukala, a me ka Radio Vieques.
ʻO ka ʻoiaʻiʻo, ʻo ka hakakā kūleʻa a nā Viequense e hoʻokuʻu ai i ko lākou mokupuni mai nā kaumaha o ka militarism e hāʻawi pū i kahi kumu o ka manaʻolana no ka poʻe a puni ka honua. Hoʻopili kēia i nā poʻe i ke koena o ʻAmelika Hui Pū ʻIa, ka poʻe e hoʻomau nei i ka uku ʻana i ke kumukūʻai waiwai a me ke kumukūʻai kanaka no ka hoʻomākaukau kaua nui a kā lākou aupuni a me nā kaua pau ʻole.
Lawrence Wittner (https://www.lawrenceswittner.com/ )ʻo Professor of History Emeritus ma SUNY / Albany a me ka mea kākau o Ke kū'ē nei i ka Bomb (Stanford University Press).
