Comments on: Puerto Rico Law in a Hurricane of Hurt

By: guest

guest — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 03:24:38 +0000

This information is so biased. I am a law student at UPR-Law and the two students who sought the injunction only wanted to open the school just to close it again. They are not planning on having the school open. They just wanted it to be the students making the decision to close the school and not the administration. This is a joke, many of us want to finish our semester and we don’t want time for immature students that have nothing to do than act like Che Guevara wannabes and force the school to close just because they want to be heard whining.
If they want to protest, well, they have the right to do so. They might as well be absent from school and protest all they want, but academic process should not be interrupted just because a few that is just looking for brawl.

By: guest

guest — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 11:50:52 +0000

While I didn’t agree with the decision to close down the university, you guys got the context all wrong.
I’m a 1L at UPR Law. In the first month and a half of class, we had several workers’ strikes that forcibly shut down the campus (read: padlocks and angry socialists barring the gates) over a disputed pay raise. Historically, the UPR’s student government has been dominated by a pro-independence socialist group that attends student assemblies en masse; however, the majority of students don’t subscribe to that ideology. They’ve simply become apathic towards student assemblies because anyone who promotes a non-socialist agenda is ruthlessly jeered and booed offstage. These socialist students organized to lend support to the “National” Strike on October 15th. Mind you, these people are stereotypically a few years late supposedly finishing a B.A. in Arts — they’re not exactly in it to graduate, but rather to live off the government grants (both state and federal) given to students. They don’t give a crap whether classes get canceled for the semester.
To make a long story short, pro-strike resolutions started being passed without any democratic participation from the student body; in response, the Central Administration closed 10 of the 11 campuses for what seemed like a week. In actuality, the 12th was a holiday and the students officially planned to block the gates the 15th, so the recess was actually three days long. There was talk of students shutting down the university on the 14th as well, which technically makes the recess 2 days long.
The academic recess was determined necessary both in preparation for the potentially violent marches scheduled for October 15th (the “National” Strike, which consisted of students and laid-off government employees blocking off the expressway and burning tires) and to take a stand against the improper procedures undertaken by the aforementioned minority student group. The truth is that, while it’s bad to have the administration shut the school down officially, it’s even worse driving to campus at 8 AM rush hour only to find a bunch of jerks blocking off the entrances because they feel they aren’t getting enough attention.
If it were up to me, anyone blocking the gates would be forcibly removed. Access to the state university should be ensured for everyone. Unfortunately, the UPR’s non-confrontationalist policies allow protesters to interrupt the semester whenever they please.
Cordially,
Manuel L. Iravedra

By: guest

guest — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 19:50:46 +0000

Burning tires on the highway? Ricans are crazy!!!

By: guest

guest — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 17:03:19 +0000

oh those wacky ricans.

By: guest

guest — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 15:20:20 +0000

So things have gotten even more interesting regarding the UPR students today… As part of an island-wide strike related to cuts in government spending, the students are currently engaged in a sit-in/tire-burning march, blocking a major highway between the law school and the hub of union-organized protesting activity by Plaza las Americas, about 2 blocks from the US District Court.

By: guest

guest — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 11:34:22 +0000

El señor Elie, anuncia por favor su expediente y las cuentas colegial de LSAT.

By: guest

guest — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 10:03:39 +0000

#44 I will only comment on you idiocy because I can only ass-ume you have no knowledge of the spanish language and my descrption of the CAPR as a “sort of union” was in an effort to adress you ignorant folk in simple terms and differenciate this organization from the actual STATE BAR which is administered by the TSPR. I suggest you do some research before commenting on issues you are clearly unfit to comment on. As I wrote to the editor: GET YOUR FACTS STARIGHT.

By: guest

guest — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 09:39:41 +0000

32 and his “there is influence from Hugo Chavez” is crazy. Obviosuly he is from Fortuño’s party or from the PNP.
56 I agree. Whilst I have U.S. citizenship, I am of Puerto Rican nationality. The two are very different things.

By: guest

guest — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 02:58:19 +0000

#52, i can only guess that you are an ignorant American because it’s pretty clear from US Supreme Court jurisprudence (see Insular Cases) that Puerto Rico “belongs to, but is not a part of” the US and that extends to the “grant” of American citizenship to Puerto Ricans.
So basically, as much as it saddens me to say, we Puerto Ricans are not Americans, just merely belong to it.

By: guest

guest — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 02:57:47 +0000