Puerto Rico's streets crawl with heavily armed, masked mercenaries bearing no insignia or nametags

[Wanderfound]

@Mister44

what is the point of having one of the largest armed forces if you have to waste money on mercs for emergency policing?

The military is for overt murder. The mercs are traditionally used for deniable death squads.

[One_Brown_Mouse]

@mysterr

If only the Puerto Rican citizenry could figure out what they actually want,

So you’re saying they’re like infants?

[RickMycroft]

@Wanderfound

Also, Wal-Mart USA sells to Wal-Mart Puerto Rico, at surprisingly inflated prices so that then it appears as if Wal-Mart Puerto Rico doesn’t have much profit, which means they pay very little taxes to the Puerto Rican government.

A classic colony ripoff combined with the company store scam. The question is, why doesn’t Walmart do that on the mainland? Obviously they would if they could, and if they did there would be screaming by people with a voice in Congress. So what club do states have to stop underhanded profit shifting that Puerto Rico lacks?

[ChuckV]

@RickMycroft

Any day now, Doctors Without Borders will have the Bomb.

Uh, oh. I think that Rubicon has already been crossed.

[Wanderfound]

@RickMycroft

A classic colony ripoff combined with the company store scam. The question is, why doesn’t Walmart do that on the mainland? Obviously they would if they could, and if they did there would be screaming by people with a voice in Congress. So what club do states have to stop underhanded profit shifting that Puerto Rico lacks?

Give it time.

The general theme of current American political change is that the treatment that was previously reserved for the underclass is now to be extended to all non-fascists.

[Ryuthrowsstuff]

1. We’ve already got plenty of that on the mainland.

2. We’ve little need to occupy/annex Puerto Rico because we already did that a ways back. And currently their stalled out in the process to statehood. They’ve already hit the marks and voted in favor of statehood.

Puerto Rico statehood movement

But Congress has failed to move forward. Largely because the GOP fears the effects from added congressional seats and electoral votes that will almost definitely swing for the Democrats. Also brown people.

@mysterr

The Puerto Rican citizenry can’t even agree on what it wants at this point. Only a minority want independence. That speaks volumes

The support for independence is small. And though statehood wins with small majorities to pluralities, or in low turn out votes. PR has at least twice held successful votes to pursue statehood. It’s the US government that hasn’t acted. The next, key step is for Congress to introduce and pass legislation calling on Puerto Rico to draft a state constitution. That constitution must be voted on by Puerto Ricans. Then the US Congress. Then you have admission to the Union.

Puerto Rico has repeatedly taken step one. A popular referendum indicating desire to become a state. Congress has repeatedly passed on taking up step 2.

[timmh]

This is one of those news stories that really needs to have some collaborative evidence. I’m not 100% questioning it, I mean my imagination totally can see this happening, but I’d like to get more facts on it.

[Wanderfound]

This seems relevant:

Howard Zinn really should be a part of every US High School curriculum.

[GyroMagician]

Well that’s a frightening report, even in these dark days.

[euansmith]

I’m sure they are working pro bono.

[euansmith]

Look, World, I love Paul Verhoeven’s satirical movies; but I don’t want to feckin’ live in them!

[xhmko]

This shows an Australian flag on one of their uniforms.

[dontpanicbobby]

It’s practice. I can’t wait to see the surprise on their masks when they come to the mainland.

[euansmith]

[One_Brown_Mouse]

@Mister44

what is the point of having one of the largest armed forces if you have to waste money on mercs for emergency policing?

Crushing National Debts that preclude universal health coverage don’t create themselves, you know.

[One_Brown_Mouse]

@timmh

but I’d like to get more facts on it.

Please bring some back with you? We’d all like more facts.

[L0ki]

@Mister44

what is the point of having one of the largest armed forces if you have to waste money on mercs for emergency policing? This sounds like a job for the army or National Guard. More specifically MPs.

Well, thanks to the Insurrection Act and the Posse Comitatus Act, the US government is only allowed to use its military on US soil in fairly limited circumstances. Basically those are where there is (or importantly - the President considers there is) insurrection, domestic violence or conspiracy that undermines the execution or enforcement of US law and that the local government is unable or unwilling to deal with the situation.

That rules out the Army (and the MPs are there to police the military not civilians in any case). National Guard would work but only if one can say that Puerto Rico’s own government isn’t able to deal with the situation (and Puerto Rico could use its own National Guard if it has one).

Since there doesn’t seem to be much of insurrection, domestic violence or conspiracy at the moment, federal forces are a no-go.

Guess when and why the Posse Comitatus Act was passed?

If you guess after the American Civil War in order to prevent the future imposition of martial law over parts of the US and that it was advocated for by those trying end Reconstruction and to roll back rights for former slaves, you’d guess correctly.

Back then that was the Democrats by the way. Aren’t history and politics fun?

[JeffreyHayner]

I actually had the means and opportunity to travel to PR to help rebuild - something I have long wanted to do, put my skills and experience in construction to use helping others after a disaster, but tbh in this case the personal dangers and utter lack of local resources outweigh my desire to help. Things like this only make it worse. I certainly do not feel safer with heavily armed, unnamed quasi-professional mercenaries roaming the streets.

[jfuller]

@doctorow

Though Puerto Rican law prohibits ownership and bearing of most long-guns and especially semiautomatic weapons, the streets of the stricken US colony now throng with mercenaries in tactical gear bearing such arms, their faces masked. They wear no insignia or nametags and won’t say who they work for, apart from vague statements in broken Spanish: “We work with the government. It’s a humanitarian mission, we’re helping Puerto Rico.”

Welcome to the continental US the day after we have some sort of wall-to-wall catastrophe.

[anon1972165]

I’m so proud that the tiny handed dotard find ways to profit take while Americans suffer.