Filed under: Weekly Posts | Tags: Alexis Massol, Arturo Massol, gas duct, Keystone XL, pipeline, White House
During Saturday’s evening, Dr. Arturo Massol Deyá, Professor of Microbiology and Ecology at the UPRM; was arrested alongside his father, Alexis Massol-García, leader of the Casa Pueblo Environmental Movement; and other activists during a manifestation near the White House. The picketers were protesting against a proposed pipeline – the Keystone XL – that would transport oil from Texas to Canada. Massol Deyá and Massol-García joined the oil protest in order to manifest their disapproval of the gas duct currently being developed in Puerto Rico.
To my astonishment – I’m not sure if I was being skeptical or if it was a known fact that I didn’t want to accept –, when I decided to read more material on other websites, like the Washington Post for example; there was no information regarding the Puerto Rican environmentalists’ arrest. There was some info, though, on the arrest of American actress Darryl Hannah, who was also involved in the Keystone XL protest. Why there was no data about the Puerto Rican arrestees?
In my opinion, it is a disgrace that two Puerto Ricans have to flight to Washington, D.C. in order to be heard; yet it is an even bigger disgrace that they get arrested for doing so. Puerto Rican affairs should be handled by Puerto Ricans, not by Americans; it is the right way. As long as Puerto Rico retains their political status intact – which Glenn Beck affirms is not a very important issue for American politics at the moment –, more people are going to get arrested for making, or at least trying to make, their voices heard. This is just another example of American colonialism over Puerto Rico. Thank God it is not an important issue to Glenn Beck.
Sources:
youstandundermeifyoudontunderstandme 