NgoLawrence Wittner, ngo-Ephreli 29, 2019
ukusuka Imfazwe Kubugebengu
I-Vieques iyisiqithi esincinane sasePuerto Rican kunye nabemi be-9,000. Ukugqitywa ngamasundu kunye neelwandle ezintle, kunye nebhayibini yelizwe eliqaqambileyo kunye namahashe asendle ajikeleza kuyo yonke indawo, uyakhangeka manani a maninzi abakhenkethi. Kodwa, malunga neminyaka engamashumi amathandathu, iVique ikhonza njengoluhlu lwebhombu, indawo yoqeqesho emkhosini, kunye nendawo yokugcina umkhosi wamanzi wase-US, bade abahlali abanomsindo, beqhutywa kukuphazamiseka, bahlangula ilizwe labo ekuthinjweni ngumkhosi.
Njengesiqithi esiyinhloko sasePuerto Rico, iVièques-iindawo ezili-8 ukuya empuma-ya lawulwa kangangeenkulungwane njengenkoloni yaseSpain, de iMfazwe yaseSpain neMelika yowe-1898 yajika iPuerto Rico yaba yikholoni engekho sesikweni (“indawo engenabundlobongela”) yaseUnited States. Ngo-1917, abantu basePuerto Ricans (kubandakanya iViequenses) baba ngabemi base-US, nangona babengenalo ilungelo lokuvotela irhuluneli yabo kude kube ngo-1947 kwaye namhlanje bayaqhubeka nokuswela ilungelo lokumelwa kwi-US Congress okanye bavotele umongameli wase-US.
Ngexesha leMfazwe yesibini (II) yeHlabathi, urhulumente wase-US, exhalabile kukhuseleko lommandla weCaribbean kunye nePanama Canal, wahlutha umhlaba omkhulu kwimpuma yePuerto Rico naseVique ukwakha iSikhululo senqanawa saseRoosevelt. Oku kubandakanya malunga nesibini kwisithathu somhlaba eVique. Ngenxa yoko, amawakawaka eViquenses agxothwa emakhayeni awo aza afakwa kumasimi eswekile atyhidiweyo athi amajoni omkhosi “abuyisela abantu ngokutsha.”
Ukuthinjwa kwe-Vieques yase-US kwe-Vieques kukhawulezisiwe kwi-1947, xa yayityumba iRoosevelt Roads njengofakelo loqeqesho lwaselwandle kunye nendawo yokugcina izinto kwaye yaqala ukusebenzisa isiqithi sokudubula kunye nokufika komhlaba emanzini ngamashumi amawaka oomatiloshe kunye nolwandle. Yandisa ukuhluthwa kwayo kwiikota ezintathu zeVique, umkhosi waselwandle wasebenzisa icandelo lasentshona ukugcinwa kweembumbulu kunye necandelo lasempuma lokuqhushumbisa kunye nemidlalo yemfazwe, ngelixa usandwich abantu bomthonyama kumhlaba omncinci owahlulayo.
Kule minyaka ezayo, i-navy ibhomu i-Vieques evela emoyeni, emhlabeni kunye nolwandle. Ngexesha le-1980 kunye nele-1990, lakhupha i-1,464 yeetoni zebhombu minyaka yonke kwesi siqithi kwaye baqhuba uqeqesho lomkhosi ngokomyinge weentsuku ezili-180 ngonyaka. Kwi-1998 kuphela, i-navy yawisa iibhomu ze-23,000 eVique. Ikwasebenzise isiqithi kuvavanyo lwe izixhobo eziphilayo.
Ngokwendalo, ngenxa yeViequenses, olu lawulo lomkhosi lwadala ubukho obuhlasimlis 'umzimba. Beqhutywa kumakhaya abo kunye noqoqosho lwabo lwendabuko ku-tatters, bafumana amava amabi bombardment eseduze. "Xa umoya uvela empuma, wazisa umsi kunye nenqwaba yothuli kwiindawo zabo zokuqhushumisa," ukhumbula omnye umhlali. “Bebeqhushumbisa yonke imihla, ukusuka nge-5 kusasa ukuya nge-6 ngokuhlwa. Kwakungathi yindawo yemfazwe. Uyeva. . . iibhombu ezisibhozo okanye ezisithoba, kwaye indlu yakho ingangcangcazela. Yonke into esezindongeni zakho, iifreyimu zemifanekiso, imihombiso yakho, izipili, zaziza kuwa phantsi zize zaphuke, ”kwaye“ indlu yakho yesamente yayiza kuqala ukuqhekeka. ” Ukongeza, ngokukhutshwa kweekhemikhali eziyityhefu emhlabeni, emanzini nasemoyeni, abantu baqala ukusokola kumanqanaba aphezulu omhlaza kunye nezinye izifo.
Ekugqibeleni, i-US Navy bazimisele isigqibo sesiqithi sonke, kubandakanya iindlela zasolwandle, iindlela zokuhamba ngenqwelomoya, imithombo yamanzi kunye nemithetho yocando kummandla oshiyekileyo wabantu, apho abahlali bahlala phantsi kwesoyikiso sokukhutshwa. Kwi-1961, umkhosi wenqanawa ngenene wayila isicwangciso semfihlo sokususa bonke abantu baseVique, kunye nabaswelekileyo abafunelwa ukuba bembelwe emangcwabeni abo. Kodwa kwangenelela iRhuluneli yasePuerto Rican uLuis Munoz Marin, kwaye uMongameli wase-US uJohn F. Kennedy wavimba uMkhosi woMkhosi ekuphumezeni isicwangciso.
Ukungavisisani phakathi kweViequenses kunye nomkhosi waselwandle kwabila ukusukela ngo-1978 ukuya ku-1983. Phakathi koqhushumbo lwemikhosi yase-US eyomeleleyo yaze yanyusa nomkhosi, kwavela umbutho onamandla wokulwa, okhokelwa ngabalobi besiqithi. Amatshantliziyo abandakanyeka kukhuphiswano, imiboniso, kunye nokungathobeli eluntwini ― ngokuphawuleka kakhulu, ngokuzibeka ngqo kumgca we-missile fire, ngaloo ndlela bephazamisa uqeqesho lomkhosi. Njengoko unyango lwabahlali besiqithi lwaluhlazo lwamazwe aphesheya, i-US Congress yabamba iindibano malunga nalo mbandela kwi-1980 kwaye yacebisa ukuba umkhosi waselwandle uhambe eVique.
Kodwa olu qhankqalazo lokuqala loqhankqalazo oludumileyo, olubandakanya amawaka e-Viequenses kunye nabaxhasi babo kuyo yonke iPuerto Rico nase-United States, basilele ukukhupha umkhosi wenqanawa kwesi siqithi. Embindini weMfazwe ebandayo, umkhosi wase-US wabambelela ngokuqinileyo ekusebenzeni kwawo eVique. Kwakhona, ukubalasela kwiphulo lokuchasa ubuzwe basePuerto Rican, kunye nehlelo elihamba kunye nalo, kusithintele isibheno sentshukumo.
Kwii-1990s, nangona kunjalo, intshukumo ebanzi esekwe kubumbano yenzeka. Iqale ngo-1993 yi IKomiti yoNcedo kunye noPhuhliso lweVique, likhawuleza ngokuchasene nezicwangciso ze-navy zokufakela inkqubo ye-radar ye-intrusive kunye uhambile emva ko-Epreli 19, 1999, xa umqhubi wenqanawa wase-US ngempazamo wawisa iibhombu ezingama-500 kwindawo ekuthiwa ikhuselekile, ebulala i-Viequenses. "Oko kwashukumisa abantu baseVique nasePuerto Ricans ngokungafaniyo nomnye umsitho," ukhumbula uRobert Rabin, inkokeli ephambili kuloluvukelo. "Ngokukhawuleza sasibumbene kwimibono yezopolitiko, inkolo kunye nemimandla."
Ukuvuselela emva kwemfuno Uxolo lwe Vieques, esi siphithiphithi sentlalontle sangena kakhulu kwiicawa zamaKatolika nezamaProtestanti, nakwimibutho yabasebenzi, abantu abadumileyo, amabhinqa, abafundi baseyunivesithi, abantu abadala kunye nabalwela amagqala. Amakhulu amawaka amaPuerto Ricans kulo lonke elasePuerto Rico kunye nabathathi-nxaxheba abathathe inxaxheba, malunga ne-1,500 ababanjelwe ukuhlala kwindawo yebhombu okanye ezinye izenzo zokungathobeli. Xa iinkokeli zonqulo zafuna uMatshi woXolo eVique, abanye babaqhankqalazi abayi-150,000 bakhukula kwizitrato zaseSan Juan kwinto eyayibonisa eyona mbonakaliso inkulu kwimbali yasePuerto Rico.
Ukujongana nesi siqhwithi somlilo, urhulumente wase-US wagqibela ngokuthimba. Kwi-2003, i-US Navy ayiphelisanga nje ukumisa ibhombu, kodwa ivale iRovelvelt Roads base base kwaye yarhoxa ngokupheleleyo eVique.
Nangona kukho ukunqoba okukhulu kweentshukumo zabantu, uVique uqhubeka ejongene mngeni mkhulu namhlanje. Oku kubandakanya ukungalawulwa kakuhle kunye nongcoliseko olukhulu olusuka kwizinyithi ezinzima kunye neekhemikhali eziyityhefu ezikhutshwe ngokuwisa uqikelelo tillion yezixhobo, kubandakanya i-uranium ephelileyo, kwisiqithi esincinci. Ngenxa yoko, iVique ngoku yeyona ndawo iphambili yokufumana imali, ngomhlaza kunye nezinye izifo phezulu kunakwamanye amaPuerto Rico. Kananjalo, xa uqoqosho lwayo lwesiqhelo lutshatyalalisiwe, isiqithi sithwaxwa yintlupheko.
Nangona kunjalo, abahlali besiqithi, abangazange bavinjelwe ngamagosa omkhosi, bajongana nale miba ngokusebenzisa iiprojekthi zokwakhiwa kwakhona kunye nophuhliso, kuquka ecotourism. Rabin, owakhonza ezintathu ngokwemigaqo yeentolongo (kubandakanywa neenyanga ezilishumi ezisixhenxe) ngenxa yokukhusela kwakhe, ngoku uqondisa Count Mirasol Fort-Isibonelelo esasikhonza njengentolongo ngenxa yezigqila ezingalawulekiyo kunye nabasebenzi abasebenzisa i-sugar cane, kodwa ngoku ihlinzeka ngamagumbi e-Vieques Museum, iintlanganiso zoluntu kunye nemibhiyozo, imithombo yolondolozo lwembali kunye neRadio Vieques.
Ewe umzabalazo ophumeleleyo owenziwe ziiViquence zokukhulula isiqithi sabo kwimithwalo yempi ubonelela ngomthombo wethemba kubantu kwihlabathi liphela. Oku kubandakanya abantu kulo lonke elaseMelika, abaqhubeka nokuhlawula ixabiso elinzima kwezoqoqosho kunye noluntu kumalungiselelo abanzi emfazwe kurhulumente kunye neemfazwe ezingapheliyo.
Lawrence Wittner (https://www.lawrenceswittner.com/ ) nguNjingalwazi we-History Emeritus kwi-SUNY / Albany kunye nomlobi we Ukujongana neBhomu (IStanford University Press).
