Guinea Pigs

Puerto Rico owns several surrounding smaller islands, Vieques being one of them. The island lies about 8 miles east of the Purto Rican mainland. This island is commonly known as a site of protest against the United States Navy and Marine Corps. As always the U.S. comes and goes as they wish in Puerto Rico and there is little or nothing we can do to oppose them.

During Worl War II the United States installed a military base in our island of Vieques with the intention of maintaining a safe British fleet just in case Germany was to prevail over Britain, this never happened. Instead the three fourths of the island acquired by the U.S. navy was used for target practice, to test explosives and to practice techniques. The residents of Vieques were always opposed to this because it brought many horrible side effects to the population, the flora and to the fauna of the whole island. Practice was conducted at certain beaches of the island which were off limits to the public because of radioactivity.

For years Puerto Ricans stayed calm and silently endured this but, in 1999 David Sanes, a Vieques-native and employee of the Navy was killed by a bomb dropped during target practice. This led all Puerto Ricans to start a protest against the U.S. Navy. In 2003 the Navy left Puerto Rico and Vieques clearing out the most important military bases of the island. Although this was what the population was asking for they didn't forsee the negative impacts it would have. Military bases, especially Roosevelt Roads, was extremely important to the economy of the town and of the entire island.


This is a perfect example of how the U.S. sometimes uses their power in very negative ways and don't even care about how it is affecting the population or place where it is happening. Cancer rates in Vieques are very high and it has been attributed to the usage of radioactive explosives in the island for so many years. Beautiful beaches have been destroyed and others are still off limits because they may contain active explosives.

A very popular Puerto Rican reggae band known for composing and performing songs of protest along with other genres wrote a song about this situation called "Bieke" and it calls out for the support and movement of the Puerto Rican population against the Navy. It calls for unification of the population instead of segregation.



"Bieke"
Cada cual es el juez de su propio destino (Everyone is a judge of their own destiny)
Y en este juicio no hay, no hay desigualdad, no (And in this judgement there is no inequality no)
Demando mi isla a dar luchando poco a poco (I demand my island to fight little by little)
Pues es como unico (because it is like unique)
Puede sobre llevar tanto embrollo (It can surpass so much debt)

And brother you're right
You're right, you're right
You're right
So, so right
Vamos haya (Let's go)
A luchar (to fight)
Vamos a luchar (Let's go fight)
A luchar (to fight)
Debemos luchar (we should fight)
A luchar (to fight)
Por nuestra paz (For our peace)

Natty dread yet in I
Bieke
Set it top in a
Bieke
Andi natty go there in a Bieke
Bieke
Borikua saliva recta Bieke
Bieke

No nos peliemos entre nosotros (We shouldn't fight between ourselves)
Unificados seremos mas, y poderosos (Unified we will be more and powerful)
Pronto sabremos quien (Sonn we will know who)
Comparte nuestra lucha de paz (Shares our fight for peace)
Pues yo no quiero que mi gente se divida no (Because I don't want my people to be divided)

And brother you're right
You're right, you're right
You're right
So, so right
Vamos a luchar
A luchar
Debemos luchar
A luchar
Vamos a luchar
A luchar
Por nuestra paz

Natty dread yet in I
Bieke
Set it top in a
Bieke
Borikua saliva recta Bieke
Bieke
I and I arriba recta
Bieke

And brother you're right
You're right, you're right
You're right
So, so right
Vamos haya
A luchar
Vamos a luchar
A luchar
Debemos luchar
A luchar
Por nuestra paz

Dividirse en bandos nos puede quebrantar (Segregation into different groups can lead us to failure)
Y en cada pecho un alma hay (And in every chest there is one soul)
Pronto sabremos quien (Soon we will know who)
Nos da una alternativa real (Wll give us a real alternative)
Pues yo no quiero a mi gente contra jah (I don't want my people against the Lord)
Por mercenarios no (Because of mercenaries, no)

And brother you're right
You're right, you're right
You're right
So, so right
Vamos a luchar
A luchar
Debemos luchar
A luchar
Vamos a luchar
A luchar
Por nuestra paz

Natty dread yet in I Bieke
Bieke
Set it top in a Bieke
Bieke
Andi natty go there in a Bieke
Bieke
Borikua saliva recta Bieke
Bieke
Marchando para Bieke (Marching for Vieques)
Bieke
Plantando bandera en Bieke (Planting a flag in Vieques)
Bieke
Reggae para liberar a Bieke (Reggae to liberate Vieques)
Bieke
Reggae para liberar a Bieke (Reggae to liberate Vieques)
Bieke

Puerto Rico has been negatively used and taken advantage of by the U.S. in many different ways over the centuries but, most people only see the positive things the U.S. does for us and call us spoiled. There has to be a balance and we all know that nothing is ever what it seems from the outside.