My aunt replays some of his rallies at a community center in Ponce and literally hundreds show up to watch.
They are very receptive to the message of change.
Also, Puerto Ricans have not forgotten about Vieques
Clinton Proposes Concessions On
Navy Training; Puerto Rico Says 'No'
Updated 8.25 p.m. ET (0125 GMT) December 3, 1999
AP- WASHINGTON — President Clinton said Friday that Navy bombing practice on the Puerto Rican island of Vieques would resume next spring at a sharply reduced level and only with dummy bombs. He offered Puerto Rico $40 million to go along with the plan, which includes phasing out all training on the island within five years. Puerto Rican Gov. Pedro Rossello quickly rejected the plan, leaving the Navy with no assurance it will ever regain full use of its "crown jewel" of training ranges. Rossello's resistance also raised questions about what Clinton would do if protesters who are camped out on the bombing range refuse to leave next spring.
Clinton's plan would mean that for the next five years the Navy and Marines would train only with "inert," or dummy, bombs on Vieques instead of the live ammunition that is part of advanced combat training.
After that, the Navy would get out of Vieques altogether. But even those concession were too little, Rossello said.
A visibly disappointed Rossello told reporters in San Juan, "Personally I feel deceived with the position that's been taken because it doesn't faithfully reflect what we have been discussing with the president." <snip>
Puerto Ricans have long objected to the Navy's practice bombing on Vieques, but the controversy boiled over after a civilian security guard was killed by an errant bomb in April. The Navy then suspended training on Vieques but has sought a way to resume it.
No sooner had Pentagon officials spelled out publicly the details of Clinton's plan than Rossello rejected it. The governor, a staunch Clinton ally who supports making Puerto Rico the 51st U.S. state, told a news conference in San Juan he could accept no arrangement that included a resumption of Navy training on Vieques.
Rossello called Clinton's plan "unacceptable for the people of Puerto Rico and the people of Vieques." He added, however, that he was willing to continue talks in hopes of finding a mutually acceptable solution. The dispute presents Clinton with a tricky challenge: to try to win back Puerto Rican support for the Navy without making so many concessions that the Navy and Marine Corps cannot train adequately.
http://www.vieques-island.com/navy/clinton.html