Free Daily Headlines :

  • COVID-19
  • Vaccine Info
  • Money
  • Politics
  • Education
  • Health
  • Justice
  • More
    • Environment
    • Economic Development
    • Gaming
    • Investigations
    • Social Services
    • TRANSPORTATION
  • Opinion
    • CT Viewpoints
    • CT Artpoints
DONATE
Reflecting Connecticut’s Reality.
    COVID-19
    Vaccine Info
    Money
    Politics
    Education
    Health
    Justice
    More
    Environment
    Economic Development
    Gaming
    Investigations
    Social Services
    TRANSPORTATION
    Opinion
    CT Viewpoints
    CT Artpoints

LET�S GET SOCIAL

Show your love for great stories and out standing journalism
CT VIEWPOINTS -- opinions from around Connecticut

Trump’s instant injury to the Puerto Rican soul

  • CT Viewpoints
  • by Serafin Mendez
  • September 14, 2018
  • View as "Clean Read" "Exit Clean Read"

I would like to stay calm but I can’t. I can stay silent, but I must not.

In light of the predicted devastation that Hurricane Florence may bring to the Carolinas, President Donald Trump’s fingers have once again taken a life of their own on Twitter.  He has attempted to create an alternative reality.  People who do not know the facts about Hurricane María and Puerto Rico may be ready to accept them.

I won´t.  He is a demagogue.

To state that Puerto Rico lost only six to 18 people to the hurricane is a falsification and a fantasy that should make irate and raise questions even among the most common folk devoid of any knowledge of Puerto Rico: the oldest colony on earth.  He also has launched a cowardly attack on Carmen Yulín Cruz, the mayor of San Juan. She is not my favorite politician in the island by any means. That said, she has passion, commitment and guts.  She has stood for the truth and the well-being of all Puerto Ricans.

Those of us who were engaged in relief efforts after María know the real human toll.  I witnessed the state of many people who arrived in the relief flight that took my mother and my family out. I bet many of them are not alive today.  As one the coordinators of the Airbridge program at Central Connecticut State University, I received one student that lost both of her grandparents to the hurricane.  Several family friends in my hometown of San Sebastián Puerto Rico had deaths directly and indirectly related to María. I still grieve for them.

The government of Puerto Rico was not in the best position to face María. Years of abandonment and lack of care for the infra-structure left Puerto Ricans vulnerable to almost any natural phenomenon. María, a category 5 hurricane, demolished an already fragile power system, roads, airports and ports. It brought chaos into the lives of everyone.  Dr. Ricardo Rosselló,  a smart but inexperienced governor, put his trust into the American government. He hoped they were going to throw a lifeline his way. They did not.  As a result the island is drowning to this day. It is called colonialism.

The feeble response Puerto Ricans received from the “motherland” have led many to question the relationship between Puerto Rico and the United States.  It also has led them to a unique time of introspection that has allowed to ask a simple and fundamental question:  how many people died?

During the initial aftermath, the government issued vague and inaccurate reports of the death toll. The government reported just 67 deaths. Later on, they raised the estimates to 1,467 casualties.  When faced with many discrepancies, Dr. Rosselló stated that anyone fudging statistics will have their heads “roll.”  Eventually, they commissioned an independent study from George Washington University . They have now issued their findings and set the death toll at 2,975. Many still think this a gross underestimate.  Funeral directors did run out of caskets and embalming fluid…

Today Trump stated that only between six  and 18 people died. He must have 2,960 “lost” souls forever biting his back.  At least, I hope they do.  We all know that our president leans towards the low. Trump may have been able to fix the damage of Stormy Daniels with money. We cannot bring back the dead that way.  How much lower can he get? Have we reached the bottom yet?

Puerto Ricans happen to be citizens of the United States. We are one of the largest ethnic groups in the Northeast.  We have a culture of compassion.  Our hearts care for all. Why is he doing this to us?  What does he have to win or to lose?  Why has he targeted the major of San Juan? She has done her best by giving a voice to the victims and disenfranchised.

Mr. President, you are a poor example of a human being. You do not represent me nor do I have any respect for you.  No real logic can back up your arguments. May you find a path out of hate and go away into the night. You have injured my soul and those of millions of us.

Alive Puerto Ricans we are and we intend to stay and be.

Serafín Méndez-Mendez is a Professor of Communication at Central Connecticut State University and involved in many community initiatives in Hartford.


CTViewpoints welcomes rebuttal or opposing views to this and all its commentaries. Read our guidelines and submit your commentary here

Sign up for CT Mirror's free daily news summary.

Free to Read. Not Free to Produce.

The Connecticut Mirror is a nonprofit newsroom. 90% of our revenue comes from people like you. If you value our reporting please consider making a donation. You'll enjoy reading CT Mirror even more knowing you helped make it happen.

YES, I'LL DONATE TODAY

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

SEE WHAT READERS SAID

RELATED STORIES
Miguel Cardona, who are you?
by Ann Policelli Cronin

When I ask Connecticut teachers about Miguel Cardona, those who know him or have worked with him say that he is really nice guy who knows what the challenges in our classrooms are, knows how to help teachers to improve their teaching, and respects public schools. All good. But what is his vision for teaching and learning that he will bring to the U.S. Department of Education?

Connecticut needs a strong two-party system, this Democrat says
by Edward Marcus

J.R. Romano’s recent resignation as the state’s Republican Party chair has brought into focus the need for a viable opposition party in Connecticut. It is not healthy politics when everything is totally controlled by one party:  the legislature, the governorship, and most of the major municipalities in our state.

Connecticut’s $100 million college shell game
by Stephen Adair

The plan to consolidate the 12 community colleges in Connecticut into one college with 12 campuses is called “Students First,” which is ironic because it does not fund students first.  It funds a new administration in a new, statewide bureaucracy. The Board of Regents (BOR) and the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) system office […]

Inconsistent television captioning is a barrier to equal access
by Jeffrey Bravin and Barbara Cassin

Our world long ago entered the age of the 24-hour news cycle, and a full understanding of the “who, what, when, where and why” of the news is critical for deaf, deafblind and hard of hearing citizens. Yet, Connecticut’s inconsistent quality of television captioning locks our community out of the complete sense of what is happening.

A just stimulus package is a start toward true racial inclusion
by Carlton L Highsmith

For centuries Blacks have been denied full participation in the American Dream. But for the sake of our collective progress, as we recover from the crippling economic effects of COVID-19, our country has a mandate to acknowledge its history of systematic institutionalized exclusionary practices and not repeat them.

Support Our Work

Show your love for great stories and outstanding journalism.

$
Select One
  • Monthly
  • Yearly
  • Once
Artpoint painter
CT ViewpointsCT Artpoints
Opinion Miguel Cardona, who are you?
by Ann Policelli Cronin

When I ask Connecticut teachers about Miguel Cardona, those who know him or have worked with him say that he is really nice guy who knows what the challenges in our classrooms are, knows how to help teachers to improve their teaching, and respects public schools. All good. But what is his vision for teaching and learning that he will bring to the U.S. Department of Education?

Opinion Connecticut needs a strong two-party system, this Democrat says
by Edward Marcus

J.R. Romano’s recent resignation as the state’s Republican Party chair has brought into focus the need for a viable opposition party in Connecticut. It is not healthy politics when everything is totally controlled by one party:  the legislature, the governorship, and most of the major municipalities in our state.

Opinion Connecticut’s $100 million college shell game
by Stephen Adair

The plan to consolidate the 12 community colleges in Connecticut into one college with 12 campuses is called “Students First,” which is ironic because it does not fund students first.  It funds a new administration in a new, statewide bureaucracy. The Board of Regents (BOR) and the Connecticut State Colleges and Universities (CSCU) system office […]

Opinion Inconsistent television captioning is a barrier to equal access
by Jeffrey Bravin and Barbara Cassin

Our world long ago entered the age of the 24-hour news cycle, and a full understanding of the “who, what, when, where and why” of the news is critical for deaf, deafblind and hard of hearing citizens. Yet, Connecticut’s inconsistent quality of television captioning locks our community out of the complete sense of what is happening.

Artwork Grand guidance
by Anne:Gogh

In a world of systemic oppression aimed towards those of darker skintones – representation matters. We are more than our equity elusive environments, more than numbers in a prison and much more than victims of societal dispositions. This piece depicts a melanated young man draped in a cape ascending high above multiple forms of oppression. […]

Artwork Shea
by Anthony Valentine

Shea is a story about race and social inequalities that plague America. It is a narrative that prompts the question, “Do you know what it’s like to wake up in new skin?”

Artwork The Declaration of Human Rights
by Andres Chaparro

Through my artwork I strive to create an example of ideas that reflect my desire to raise social consciousness, and cultural awareness. Jazz music is the catalyst to all my work, and plays a major influence in each piece of work.”

Artwork ‘A thing of beauty. Destroy it forever’
by Richard DiCarlo | Derby

During times like these it’s often fun to revisit something familiar and approach things with a different slant. I have been taking some Pop culture and Art masterpieces and applying the vintage 1960’s and 70’s classic figures (Fisher Price, little people) to the make an amusing pieces. Here is my homage to Fisher -Price, Yellow […]

Twitter Feed
A Twitter List by CTMirror

Engage

  • Reflections Tickets & Sponsorships
  • Events
  • Donate
  • Newsletter Sign-Up
  • Submit to Viewpoints
  • Submit to ArtPoints
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Commenting Guidelines
  • Legal Notices
  • Contact Us

About

  • About CT Mirror
  • Announcements
  • Board
  • Staff
  • Sponsors and Funders
  • Donors
  • Friends of CT Mirror
  • History
  • Financial
  • Policies
  • Strategic Plan

Opportunity

  • Advertising and Sponsorship
  • Speaking Engagements
  • Use of Photography
  • Work for Us

Go Deeper

  • Steady Habits Podcast
  • Economic Indicator Dashboard
  • Five Things

The Connecticut News Project, Inc. 1049 Asylum Avenue, Hartford, CT 06105. Phone: 860-218-6380

© Copyright 2021, The Connecticut News Project. All Rights Reserved. Website by Web Publisher PRO