Editor’s Note: And for all you who think we aren’t “bipartisan” about this issue, read what we wrote about David Bernier’s dumb tweet.
About five years ago, our founder wrote a piece highlighting the blatant hypocrisy of how pro-statehood Puerto Ricans have no problem pushing out their “Boricua, pa’ que tú lo sepas” card when it is politically convenient.
That was in 2012.
In 2017, the Statehooder Hypocrisy continues.
Case in point: 24 hours after his government acquiesced to a fiscal control board that will pretty much own Puerto Rico’s financial future for years and just two months after he boldly proclaimed that Puerto Rico MUST become the 51st state of the Union, Gov. Ricardo Rosselló was busy making sure the island knew that he was all into the Puerto Rican national baseball team, who defeated a powerful Dominican Republic squad on Tuesday:
¡Y Puerto Rico sigue invicto! ¡Tremenda victoria de #LosNuestros frente a RD! ¡Excelente comienzo de la segunda ronda! #OrgulloBoricua pic.twitter.com/bcPYWOSBAH
— Ricardo Rossello (@ricardorossello) March 15, 2017
“And Puerto Rico stays undefeated! Amazing victory from #LosNuestros against the DR! An excellent start to the second round!”
Or the tweet where the governor told Puerto Rican (and St. Louis Cardinal) star Yadier Molina that he definitely would get the team a plane (or catch a plane, depending on how you translate it) if the team won the 2017 WBC:
Ahora sí que voy a tener que conseguir un avión … @Yadimolina04 #LosNuestros #TeamRubio
— Ricardo Rossello (@ricardorossello) March 15, 2017
That tweet was in response to this one:
Yadier Molina > Ricardo Rosselló. Esto ya es de proporciones gigantescas. #LosNuestros pic.twitter.com/Q9XySI8vgd
— Javier Negrón (@JavierNegron93) March 13, 2017
Rosselló’s latest Public Boricuaness is just another example of pro-statehood Puerto Ricans who love to wrap themselves around the United States flag at political rallies, but when it comes to the Olympics or other international sporting tournaments, they have no problem saying how much they LOVE being Boricua.
Which is part of the problem, no?
Statehooders want to be as American as apple pie when they spout statehood as the ONLY solution to the island’s woes, but when Puerto Rico is competing against other nations and showing off its national pride? They might as well be doing this:
Listen. We have news for you. If statehooders think that once you become a state of the Union, you get to keep your baseball team, we are sorry to tell you—it’s not going to happen. Same goes for the Olympics. Or yeah, even Miss Universe. Once you are part of the U.S., guess who the boss is?
Which leads us to our final point. This Friday, Puerto Rico plays the United States in the WBC.
Who will Gov. Rosselló and his fellow statehooders be rooting for? Do you think the governor will be tweeting, “USA! USA! USA!” during the game? Because as silly as you think we are sounding, once you are in the USA Club, that’s the rule, and you can’t have it both ways, especially when it comes to béisbol.
Enough with the convenience of choice for political gain.
Just make a choice and be honest with yourself and with the rest of Puerto Rico.
Because at least you might gain some respect, instead of just more disdain for a hypocrisy that does nothing for your cause.
