Puerto Rico
In response to Pat Buchanan’s column on statehood for Puerto Rico (March 17), I think he misses the central issue.
That is, there are 3.5 million people in Puerto Rico who are American citizens, not Puerto Rican citizens or commonwealth citizens.
As such, they should have the right to request statehood. Not to accept this right denies their status as equals under federal law.
If the U.S. government were to accept a policy of status quo and therefore deny Puerto Rico’s right to become the 51st state, then it would, in essence, affirm that all Americans are not equal.
In that case, the moral thing to do would be to let Puerto Rico be free.
WALTER CUEVAS
Irvine
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