Publisher's Synopsis
This book is written from my perspective as a psychiatrist in relation to my experiences of being an American born in Puerto Rico. This may sound cognitively dissonant but is not. There are fundamental differences between being an American and an American born in PR. The intentions for this book are to denounce the hoax of the century in USA- that the Puerto Ricans govern Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico has no sovereignty of its own. Since 1898, PR has been governed by the US Congress and the President of the USA. With the Foraker Act of 1900, we were ordered to organize ourselves in a limited version of a republican type of government, with only one chamber and a governor appointed by the President of the USA. This civil government would replace the military government present since the invasion of our lands. With the Jones- Shafroth Act of 1917 we became American citizens, and the new government was going to have two chambers - Senate, and House of Representatives. The Act made it clear that the US has full control in matters of the economy, immigration, defense, and the type of government for us in PR. Government organization was designed by the USA and not by us. Even our famous Commonwealth Constitution was ordered from the US Congress and was modified at their will without consent of the Puerto Ricans. Until 1952, PR was on the list of colonies of the United Nations Decolonization Committee. The people of PR were allowed to elect a governor in 1948 for the first time since total control of the US. We were ordered to write a constitution subordinated to the US Constitution, as approved by Congress, and this act was presented to the United Nation as a proof of self government. It proved unnecessary supervision by the UN- they considered it a domestic manner and not an international matter; it seems that they forgot the Treaty of Paris. The US ambassador asked for PR to be stricken from the list of colonies and for the requirements to present reports for the decolonization and self government development. We have never had full self government and much less self determined government. This hoax has led many to believe that PR is a Latin American nation. We are a non incorporated territory that belongs to but is not part of the federation of states government. As a territory that belongs to the USA, they discriminated regarding which rights of their constitution extends to us. For the past five years, a board of seven members designated by the President and the House and the Senate of the USA has superseded our elected officials. And they have the discretion and the power to change whatever they feel necessary, including the constitution, so we can pay the debt with Wall Street. Seven Americans, not Puerto Ricans, have the full control of our monies. Where is the self government? Maybe it never existed and was just the hoax of the century for the US government.
