UPR Student Strike

The Facebook and blogging life of an expat suburban mom working in Corporate America consists of harmless posts on life's small victories or trivial gripes about the stresses of work or family life. Until one day an issue gets hold of you and makes you want to step off the safe zone, take a stand, support a cause. For me, the wake up call is what is happening at the University of Puerto Rico these days.

The Puerto Rican government has really f*ing bungled the UPR student strike situation. They are inflexible and narrow-minded in their plans to whittle down our premier higher education institution. I have always been so proud that in Puerto Rico we have a higher percentage of high school graduates that go to the University than in the United States. What a shame that our governor believes education is not for all, only for the privileged ones.

Fortuño's government has consistently mocked and minimized the students' concerns, and now that they have unleashed SWAT on them, blood has been spilled and the possibility of escalating violence and maybe even loss of life looms. While all of this is happening, they are courting the powers that be in Washington DC to gain support for a referendum on political status. Are we supposed to believe all their hollow "self-determination" and "people's choice" pro-referendum rethoric? Their actions with regards to the University strike prove that they do not care about what the People want.

Dios nos coja confesados.

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http://rojogallito.blogspot.com/

Semantics and Ideology

I live in a place where terms like "empathy", "social justice" and "common good" are seen by some people as nefarious and sinister. I just don't get it, and I never will.