by a RAIL and a MIM comrade
Dr. Pedro Albizu-Campos, the revolutionary nationalist leader for Puerto Rican independence-- and the radiation experiments which were conducted on him in retaliation for his political practice-- are the subject of a World Wide Web homepage operated by Committee For The Defense of Pedro Albizu-Campos (CODEPAC). The homepage opens with the statement "This page is open to accuse the U.S. Government in the death of Dr. Pedro Albizu- Campos." CODEPAC urges its readers to spread the word about radiation experimentation in Puerto Rico and to write letters to Congresspeople urging them to support the independence of Puerto Rico, and an investigation into the death of Albizu-Campos.
Pedro Albizu-Campos was a revolutionary leader who was convicted by the United Snakes of "seditious conspiracy" in 1936 for his work with the anti- colonial Nationalist Party. He spent seven years in a Federal prison for this "crime" of fighting for self-determination, and the rest of his life fighting U.S. imperialism and being viciously repressed by the United Snakes government. He was arrested and imprisoned again in 1950, after the Nationalist insurrection in Puerto Rico, and the attack by two Nationalists on Washington D.C.'s Blair House, where Amerikan president Truman was temporarily living. Dr. Albizu-Campos was tortured with radiation poisoning in prison, and he was also the first to confront the U.S. government on the radiation experimentation it conducted in Puerto Rico between 1951 and 1953. CODEPAC is seeking more information about and organizing support for an investigation into these experiments which killed Albizu-Campos.
The homepage contains many photos showing the tissue damage and debilitated physical state from which he suffered as a result of the experiments. As a result of the release of classified documents by the Office of Human Radiation Experiments of the U.S. Department of Energy, many original documents, including FBI memos, which expose Amerikan government involvement are available for viewing or downloading. It should come as little surprise that the United Snakes has used Puerto Rican citizens as guinea pigs in radiation experiments and tortured imprisoned revolutionaries. Ever since Amerika violated the sovereignty of Puerto Rico and made it a colony, Puerto Ricans have fought many forms of forced medical testing including forced birth control experiments. Amerika also further impoverished Puerto Rico by forcing a change to sugar as the main export crop in the first decades of this century.
Imperialist policies sucked off the island's resources and fostered a revolutionary nationalist movement which Amerika had to repeatedly crush with money and bombs. In addition to buying off politicians and installing puppet leaders, Amerika bombed the town of Jayuya in 1950, arrested thousands of nationalists, and built up a self- serving economy in order to silence the cries of revolt from Puerto Ricans.
CODEPAC is continuing the righteous tradition of Puerto Rican resistance to U.S. imperialism. It is, however, unfortunate that the organization does not see the futility of their tactics, even though it states that "U.S. policy has always been against the independence of Puerto Rico." No amount of letter writing or protesting to the Amerikan government will change the nature of imperialism, and Amerika will not give up imperialism without a fight. Token apologies, if won, will not prevent Amerika from torturing again, or crushing other leaders like Albizu-Campos who will fight for national self-determination.
CODEPAC should study the contributions of the Young Lords Party (YLP) to the liberation movement. During the 1970s, YLP, a revolutionary party modeled after the Black Panther Party, was the vanguard for Puerto Rican revolutionary nationalism. The Young Lords organized to improve the quality of life for Puerto Ricans living in Amerikan slums, to fight for the independence of Puerto Rico, and for the establishment of a socialist society. The book Palante explains the history of the Young Lords Party and its struggle for Puerto Rican power. YLP didn't rely on Amerika to help Puerto Ricans, but built its own support systems and made alliances with other organizations with shared goals. CODEPAC should not waste its time on reforming imperialism; instead it should work on building independent power of the oppressed.
Notes:
J. Sakai, *Settlers: The Mythology of the White Proletariat.* Morningstar
Press, 1989; Ronald Fernandez, *Prisoners of Colonialism: The Struggle for
Justice in Puerto Rico.* Common Courage Press: Monroe, Maine 1994.