The Embarrassment Continues!

Apparently several delegates to the sham convention are now filing a lawsuit against  Governor deJongh.  They’re  actually demanding that the Governor send their divisive document on to President Obama and Congress, claiming he had no right to refuse to do so!  Check out full story in the VI News @  http://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/index.pl/article_home?id=17636724.  Unbelievable!!! …These guys  clearly understand that their proposed constitution makes a  total mockery of the U.S. Constitution, yet they defiantly demand that it be sent on to President Obama and Congress anyway. Why? What’s the point?  Its kind of like saying ”Hey, guess what? We don’t give a damn about the U.S. Constitution”!! …..”These are  our islands, and if we choose to treat people unequally, that’s our business!”

Governor Rejects Controversial Document

The mockery is over!!!  On Thursday, Virgin Islands Governor John deJongh rejected the controversial constitution and saved Virgin Islands from the embarrassment of forwarding the devisive document on to President Obama and Congress to review.  Well done Governor deJongh!! Citing obvious violations of the equality and civil rights provisions of U.S. Constitution, Governor deJongh ended the two-year effort of the Fifth Constitutional Convention to produce the document, which, alarmingly enough, was supported by a solid  20 of the  30 covention delegates!!! See complete story reported in the VI Daily News @ http://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/index.pl/article_home?id=17636737.

So now what? Do we just forget it ever happened?  Just bury it in the sand…grab a Heineken…and let the carnival go on!! I would hope not!!!! Seems to me that this whole fiasco signals some very serious problems here guys that really ought to  get addressed?  Hey I’m no expert, but when 20 of  30 delegates to a territorial constitutional convention come out in solid support of such a  repugnant document that strips people of their basic rights, I’d say we need a major attitude adjustment in our American “paradise”!

VI Delegates Approve Controversial Constitution Called Repugnant and Devisive – Its Now Up to President Obama and Congress to Intercept !

Shock, horror, revulsion are just some of the thoughts that quickly raced through my head when, while waiting for a fight back to Connecticut from St. Thomas recently, I first learned from a local newspaper article about some of the discriminatory measures recently approved by the Virgin Islands Fifth Constitutional Convention.  My God, I thought! Whatever are they thinking! How could something like this ever be happening in America? They’re actually passing laws here that blatantly discriminate against certain classes of people, making a mockery of the equal rights provisions of the U.S. Constitution! My first  reactions – What a freaking embarrassment!!!… This place is out of control! … ”Paradise??”…More like our own little “Republic of Darfur”!

 Among the more controversial provisions reported in the May 28, 2009 edition of the Virgin Islands Daily News is one that sets ancestry requirements for the territory’s governor and lieutenant governor.  These top two officials must now either be ancestral native Virgin Islanders or native Virgin Islanders.  According to the article,  ”the document defines ancestral native Virgin Islanders as people who can trace their bloodlines back to people who were in the Virgin Islandsbefore 1932 – when the United States granted mass citizenship on people in the territory – and were not citizens of any other country.  Native Virgin Islanders can trace their ancestry back to people born in the Virgin Islands after 1932.”  Besides placing class restrictions on the right to run for public, is another hotly debated provision that grant sproperty tax exemptions to only one specific class of people – native Virgin Islanders!  [FYI -  For those of you not familiar with the racial make-up and residency status of Virgin Islanders, the approximate racial breakdown is as follows: Black (78%), White (10%), Other (12%). Only 49% of the people who reside in the USVI were actually born there.]  The new VI constitution was signed and presented to the VI governor last Monday, despite strong warnings from convention legal counsel, citing the obvious conflicts with the U.S. Constitution.  It now goes to President Obama and the U.S. Congress for approval.   (See Full Story by Connecting to this link: http://www.virginislandsdailynews.com/index.pl/article?id=17636241.

Although my initial shock at reading the article has now passed, I still find myself in disbelief. Its obvious that our American Virgin Islands have some serious social issues, and we’d better start addressing them quick. The arrogance of these delegates is especially mind boggling given all  the financial support the U.S. government gives this territory (no federal personal or corporatre income tax goes to U.S. Treasury, instead, when paid, the equivalent is returned to VI government to spend as it likes) , not to mention the tremendous boon to the local economy that is generated from the U.S. tourist industry. Compared to most other Caribbean islands, the standard of living here is considerably higher, and certainly on a par with most stateside locations. Maybe what we’ve done is given too much! Instead of helping, what we’ve actually ended-up creating is a misguided sense of entitlement within a segment of this territory’s population that  shows no sensitivity or respect for the rights or dignity of others. 
 Imagine if Massachusetts, Connecticut, California or any of the other U.S. states were to call a constitutional convention and vote to pass laws that excluded everyone from elected office who could not trace their bloodline to Mayflower descendants? It totally makes no sense and is in direct opposition to the guiding principals that our founding fathers sought to ensure in our U.S. Constitution. There simply is no place in America for segregation of  citizens by class and the allocation of rights  based on ones bloodline descendants!   I’m a frequent visitor to the U.S. Virgin Islands I can tell you from years of association with Virgin Islanders, that there any many fine people who reside here. I do not believe for a moment that this constitution is reflective of their will or the will of the general population. I can only hope that President Obama and the U.S. Congress  will act accordingly.