Resistance today, tomorrow and forever!

José M. López Sierra

Presentation at the 4th Symposium for the Decolonization and Reparation of the Caribbean

Saturday, December 7, 2019, Habitat Conference Room

Bonaire

Good Morning. My presentation is entitled:

Resistance today, tomorrow and forever!

Empires are born when nations decide to use their armed forces to exploit other nations that can’t defend themselves. Empires are bullies! The world today is supposed to be bully free according to the United Nations’ (UN) Charter that specifically prohibits colonialism!

Cuba and Vietnam knew how to handle a bully. They did not commit the mistake that Puerto Ricans have made for over 5 hundred years. We have foolishly tried to reform colonialism to make it work for us. Some of us have learned that that is impossible! But, too many, lamentably, have not. The sad fact is that the only way to end colonialism is by a revolution!

The United States Government (USG) tried by all means possible to exploit Cuba. For the past 6 decades, it has continued to try to destroy the Cuban revolution via an illegal blockade. The USG’s blockade has been denounced by practically every nation in the world. The USG has refused to acknowledge the inalienable right of Cubans to their own national sovereignty!

Cuba and Vietnam were convinced that the USG, like Hitler, had to be stopped at all cost! The only thing that an empire understands is resistance today, resistance tomorrow and resistance forever!

Governor George Wallace of Alabama taught us that, when he was totally against the United States (US) Supreme Court’s decision to end racial segregation in 1954. When 2 Black students tried to begin class at the University of Alabama, Wallace stood right at the entrance to keep them out. Wallace believed, as the 1 % that controls the USG still does that the United States should maintain its long standing tradition of, “Segregation today, segregation tomorrow and segregation forever!”

Colonialism has been illegal under international law since 1945. The USG, however, feels that nobody could make it decolonize against its will. It does, because the triumphant nations of World War II specifically designed the UN to do whatever they want with impunity. Colonies, therefore, have no other choice, but to take matters into their own hands!

In the case of Puerto Rico, I believe that we must begin by decolonizing our minds by studying our own real history. The USG has hidden our real history to enable it to control our lives.

If we, for example, would have known our real history, Puerto Ricans would never have historically voted in Puerto Rico elections at an 85% participation rate. It is impossible to have democracy within a colony. That charade was the way that the USG deceived the UN into removing Puerto Rico off its list of colonies in 1953.  Therefore, the so-called “Commonwealth of Puerto Rico” is the USG’s way of hiding its colony. To expose that lie, the Puerto Rican Nationalist Party revolted in 1950, and in 1954, it attacked the United States (US) Congress.

An excellent example of the degree in which the USG has put Puerto Rico upside-down by indoctrination is the fact that our international airport is named after the Puerto Rican traitor, Luis Muñoz Marin. I invite you to watch a video of him on YouTube where he explains to Puerto Ricans the importance of voting in Puerto Rican elections! The Luis Muñoz Marin International Airport is like if the USG were to name one of its airports after Benedict Arnold. Many Puerto Ricans still glorify him, which is a testimony as to the extent of Puerto Rican brainwashing that still exists today!

Once we decolonize our minds, we should engage in permanent resistance to force the USG to comply with the UN’s Charter that prohibits colonialism since 1945, and its 38 resolutions asking it to immediately return Puerto Rico’s sovereignty to the Puerto Ricans. The fact that the UN is currently in its last year of the third international decade dedicated to the eradication of colonialism would be an added pressure on the USG to comply with the desire of the international community. The USG would not be able to resist such a tsunami!

All colonial Caribbean nations should unite to strategically engage in permanent resistance to force empires to immediately liberate their colonies. Once we begin the revolution, the international community would have no other choice but to demonstrate solidarity with our inalienable right to self-determination and independence.

Permanent resistance is the only way to decolonize our nations. Anything else would be reformism, and that only favors empires in keeping our nations colonized forever!

Thank you!