José E. Serrano: “I do not function out of fear, in terms of putting fear on anyone else. I function out of fact. The fact of life is that…”

“I do not function out of fear, in terms of putting fear on anyone else. I function out of fact. The fact of life is that we would not be here dealing with this very good bill unless we understood that there is a unique relationship between Puerto Rico and the United States. If everything was fine and dandy, we would not be here passing this bill. I do not try to bring fear into people, but I know what this country is capable of doing. We are a great Nation, but at times we are governed in a behavior that may make changes. I do not want to run the risk of finding out what kind of citizenship I have. I think I already know. Is that good? Is that bad? How do I live with it? I dealt with it. I worked my way up the system and became a member of the U.S. Congress. Sometimes I try to do a pretty good job at it. I think it is important to note that this amendment today speaks to the fact that so many of us who left the island did so as a result of a relationship between the U.S. and Puerto Rico, a relationship that started off with a military invasion and which, at this date, has not ended with anything which brings either independence or statehood.”