Political Quotes

“Mr. Chairman, a matter of self-determination should be a matter that brings unanimous consent in this body, and it pains to me to see divisions and splits. If the bill is imperfect, there are many hurdles yet to go: additional island votes, additional congressional votes provided by the bill. Also, the vote to be taken in Puerto Rico is nonbinding. Above all, we cannot get ahead of the Puerto Rican people. In 1993, we in the District of Columbia had a historic vote on statehood. That is not what this vote is about. It is about allowing the Puerto Rican people to decide what affiliation they themselves desire. This is what we say we want people around the world to decide. I represent half a million people in the District of Columbia who identify with Puerto Ricans because we too are treated as less than full Americans, living here right under the noses of the Congress of the United States. We know what it is like to fight and die in wars while suffering denials of concomitant rights. The District has even fewer rights than Puerto Ricans because we do not have the right to self-government. We in the District feel a deep kinship which demands for self-determination around the world, and especially self-determination among our own in Puerto Rico.”