2017 Referendum in Puerto Rico

It's been a few years since I was in Puerto Rico, and a lot has happened since then. 4 days ago, they held a referendum on the island. The purpose: to make puerto rico the 51st state, or an independent country. 97% of voters voted for statehood. Here's the twist; only 23% of the eligible voters on the island actually showed up to vote. The following article by the New York Times outlines some pretty interesting points regarding Puerto Rico's current state:

NY TIMES ARTICLE: https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/12/us/trump-puerto-rico-statehood-congress.html?_r=0

Point 1) "The Republicans are also considered highly unlikely to do something that could result in five more Democrats in the House and two in the Senate."

Response: Puerto Rico voted for Hillary in the primaries (Puerto Ricans can vote in US presidential primaries). If I were a Republican in our current legislative branch of government, I wouldn't want to pass something that was going to add more coworkers to my workplace with opposing views; or maybe I might, if I was trying to create balance.

Point 2) "But because the turnout was so low — only 23 percent of eligible voters cast ballots — the vote, rather than being a dramatic turning point, underscored the divided political atmosphere in Puerto Rico and the long road ahead for any resolution of the island’s status. By law, the next steps toward statehood remain in Congress, where advocates for statehood face the daunting task of persuading a legislature dominated by Republicans to take on a state which would have the nation’s highest poverty and unemployment rates and an unpaid $74 billion debt."

Response: My mother, bless her heart, told me a while back (in conversation about the upcoming referendum) that the people of Puerto Rico are going to keep the status quo. There were only 2 options on this ballot; statehood or independence. I did not expect that people were actually just not going to show up to this referendum, which happened in 2012 with more of a voter turn out and 54% voting to maintain the current status (the option to maintain the current status was included in the 2012 referendum). Mother is always right, I guess. I wonder why people are wanting to maintain something like a relationship with the United States.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puerto_Rican_status_referendum,_2012

Point 3) "Sunday’s plebiscite was the fifth taken since the United States acquired Puerto Rico in 1898. This time, only about 500,000 of Puerto Rico’s 2.2 million registered voters voiced their preference for statehood, independence or remaining a United States commonwealth, far fewer than in previous elections."

Either Puerto Rico doesn't want to become the 51st state, or there are barriers to voting. The link below contains an interview with a Puerto Rican activist, Rosa Clemente. The second link is a video about the closing of 184 schools in an attempt to repay the debt to the United States and sheds some light on the real aspects of Puerto Rico's relationship with the United States.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g5P31d-oAZQ

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kgskmVRVADs <======= If you don't actually watch or read any of the links, watch this one!

List of places to check out: Cuba

I fly into Havana on Monday afternoon, giving me 18 days to roam the country before I have to be back there on July 28th for my flight to SF. I've compiled a list of places (based off of my research of the country's history) that I want to check out while I'm there. I'll add to this list when I figure out my life a little better,

Havana

El Malecon is a strip along the north side of the island that overlooks the Caribbean. It's sort of like a giant stone wall-bench in between the city of Havana and the Caribbean Sea, where locals will sit, socialize, fish, and partake in general badassery. I want to make sure I snap a photo of El Malecon while I'm there, as well as swim in the water and socialize with locals. I have the advantage of looking, smelling, and talking like I'm from the Caribbean (with my 10 year old child Spanish), so I'm really excited about connecting with Latinos in this country and gaining insight into their everyday highs and lows.

Mosque Abdallah is a young mosque that was established in Havana on June 17th, 2015. This is going to be such a blessing to check out. It's awesome to see Islam reach as far as communist Cuba. I'll miss Ramadan in Cuba this year, but from what I have seen on the Internet, the opening of this mosque was well-received in the community. The Cuban Communist Party has gradually eased its policies around religion, with even the pope having visited in recent years. It'll be eye opening to see how Muslims from the Caribbean practice their faith in a place as Catholic as Cuba.


https://www.worldcrunch.com/culture-society/a-saudi-hand-guides-quiet-rise-of-islam-in-cuba

Cienfuegos

Parque Jose Marti is the central plaza of Cienfuegos, a town I'll be stopping in on my way down to Trinidad. It was named after "the father of cuban independence", Jose Marti, who Fidel Castro drew much inspiration from. Marti was a Cuban poet and influential politician who advocated for Cuban Independence and supposedly warned against American political interests before the end of the Spanish American War. 
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Mart%C3%AD
http://theinternationalcommittee.org/jose-marti-and-fidel-castro-two-lifetimes-connected-by-the-same-revolution/

Bahia de Cienfuegos HAS FLAMINGOS!!!!

Trinidad

Playa Ancon is a beach resort area that lies a few kilometers from Trinidad. It's on the way to Santiago, so I'm going to stop and check out one of the first new resorts to be developed after the 1959 revolution. I have seen some really cool pictures of the area and want to try diving if I can.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trinidad,_Cuba#Tourism


Santiago De Cuba

Santa Ifigenia Cemetary is where Fidel Castro's ashes were laid to rest.


Santa Clara

Che Guevara Mausoleum is where Che Guevara's remains can be found.