Vieques

[beany]

I'm curious about people's thoughts about the people reclaiming the military bases on Vieques. Also if anyone has been there recently and could share a bit of their experience with this forum...

[Cagueno]

Vieques, though pretty and with nice beaches, has only political value for the Puerto Rican political parties, and is a very valuable military training site to the U.S. Navy. Because Vieques has been used as a storage place for naval fuel, explosives and advanced ordnance, and because they have used depleted Uranium ammunition [Uranium that is not radioactive, which is a very dense metal, excellent to penetrate thick steel armor], this island will in all probability be a Super-Fund hazardous wastes polluted site. I work in one such site, and can tell you that though this place is excellent for industrial use [having factories] it is not suited for homes, hotels and any type of use where lots of people will congregate (such as a tourist resorts). Think about it, can anyone afford the billions of dollars that would be required to remove all the contaminated earth in Vieques? I know Congress will not have that money. Even if they place factories in Vieques, there are no more tax incentives to do so (the 936 law was cancelled), and being that the island of Vieques is without much potable water and far from Puerto Rico will also make it less interesting to prospective industrial users. Bottom line: if the Navy gives back Vieques there are not going to be many users for the land except birds and wild goats, and certainly nature tourists are not going to come to get exposed to depleted uranium or such hazardous wastes. The political value of taking Vieques from the hands of the Navy will be that everyone who helped to do it will try to take the credit (populares, pipiolos, pe-ese-pes, you name it…). In the mean time the Navy will have to practice amphibious attacks in the deserts of Nevada (where is the water for the ships?), and
when North Korea decides to invade South Korea, American troops (with lots of Puerto Rican servicemen) will get defeated big time. So, because the Navy will lose an excellent training site I can foresee several thousands of Puerto Ricans in the armed forces getting killed because some political opportunists.

[joseuno]

Are you kidding? Do you realize how strong a Real Estate interest there is in Vieques. There have been articles on how Vieques will be the next St. Barts. Once The "Marriotts" build it they`ll flock and they will do such agreat PR nobody will know what the land was used for or if there were any health hazards. There goes the neighboorhood. Vieques is such a paradize and Its so sad whats going on and what will happen there in the future. Unfortunately there is nothing we can do. Real Estate is that powerfull! Any hope?

[Ajo]

Cagueño,
Depleted Uranium (DU) it is radioactive after fired.

[This message has been edited by Ajo (edited 17 September 1999).]

[Cagueno]

Beany:

I guess that you know how many millirads Depleted Uranium emits, specially in comparison to regular Uranium [never mind enriched Uranium, which is the stuff nuclear reactors use]. However, if DU is radioactive enough, then it makes Vieques even less attractive. I don't think that the Marriot Hotels are going to risk getting sued by any guests that get cancer. More so since there are so many "buscones" in Puerto Rico. So rule out any big chain Hotel or resort investing in that Real State. Maybe the State Government will place a "Parador", only to close later when they sued a couple of times by several "buscones". Nah, Vieques is going to be our shame in every way, just like the "Bonus" Nuclear Plant built by Hernandez Colon in the early seventies.

[joseuno]

Caribean Travel & Life October 1999 has an article, "Vieques: Can Its Tourist Boom Drown Out the U>S> Navy?. In it it states" In December, Rosewood Hotels and Resorts, which owns resorts in Little Dix on Virgin Gorda & Caneel Bay on St. John, Will open a 136 room, 20 suite plantation style resort on the north- western side". The Blue Horizon has a waiting list of over 100 for their new year celebration and every room is booked into early 2000 in the Island. Research some of the real estate owners, Bostonians, famous New yorkers, Designers And alarge Gay community and you know what that means, a sure expensive, trendy, exclusive and fabulous resort! Never mind uranium, its over! I should have bought years ago! Have you been to Vieques lately?

[BEECHO]

Let the TERRORISTS "BURN IN HELL" and for Vieques KEEP dreaming independentistas because the NAVY ain't going NO WHERE!!!