As if Puerto Ricans didn’t have enough problems. They’re still struggling to recover post-Hurricanes Irma and Maria (over three years ago), coping with COVID-19, and...
After a Prism investigation revealed that Natasha Lycia Ora Bannan—a white woman of European descent—spent more than a decade pretending to be Latina, the...
Elaine Duke was the acting head of the Department of Homeland Security for four months, after John Kelly left and before Kirstjen Neilsen was approved. During that time, she met with Donald Trump and others at the White House. She reports that she found herself in “an ambush” on her first visit, expecting to chat with Trump and instead finding herself facing down Jeff Sessions and Stephen Miller, who demanded that she sign a memo ending DACA. Then Hurricane Maria struck and it really got nuts. New York Times: She said that as Hurricane Maria approached Puerto Rico and Ms. Duke argued for an emergency declaration before its landfall, Mick Mulvaney, then the president’s budget director, resisted. “Quit being so emotional, Elaine, it’s not about the people, it’s about the money,” she said Mr. Mulvaney told her. Asked about the comment, Mr. Mulvaney said on Friday: “I never made such a remark. My experience with the acting director was that she rarely got anything right at D.H.S. At least she’s consistent.” Duke went on to say that she disagreed with the angry tweets that Trump then exchanged with the elected officials of Puerto Rico, as El Moron blamed delay and incompetence on local politicians, and complained that they weren’t appreciative enough of him and his efforts. The Mayor of San Juan, who was very complimentary only a few days ago, has now been told by the Democrats that you must be nasty to Trump. — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2017 The “island surrounded by water — big water, ocean water” as you may recall was a bit too much for Trump. So, in pure Trumpian fashion, he came up with one of his brilliant ideas and that was to sell the place, I mean, it was water damaged, right? If you had a pair of shoes like that, you’d ditch ’em, right? “The president’s initial ideas were more of as a businessman, you know,” she recalled. “Can we outsource the electricity? Can we can we sell the island? You know, or divest of that asset?” She said the idea was never seriously considered or discussed after that meeting. Well, why the hell not, I would like to know? What good is having an island, if you can’t sell it? And sell all the people on it? Or, maybe sell them both separately. Sell the people to work for Vladimir at his place in Siberia and sell the island to a motion picture production company, let’s say, and then it could be used for Trump movies. You know that “Trump: The Motion Picture” is going to be a blockbuster. Maybe keep a few of the natives around for extras, right? Local color, brown people and palm trees. Duke has an interesting observation: “There is a singular view that strength is mean,” she said, “that any kind of ability to collaborate, or not be angry is a weakness.” That is called “toxic masculinity” last I knew. Put it in a blender and mix with racism, misogyny and stupidity and you have a lethal concoction. Call it the MAGA martini. It pairs well with Big Macs and KFC.
Though Puerto Ricans still face a triple whammy from the ravages of hurricanes, earthquakes, and COVID-19, the island’s intrepid citizens refuse to be suppressed...
