"Internal self-government under a local constitution was authorized by Congress and approved by the residents in 1952, but federal law is supreme in Puerto Rico and residents do not have voting representation in the Congress"
- Dick Thornburgh
About this Quote
This quote by Dick Thornburgh is describing the political status of Puerto Rico. In 1952, Congress licensed Puerto Rico to have internal self-government under a regional constitution. This was authorized by the locals of Puerto Rico, however, federal law is still supreme in Puerto Rico. This means that the laws of the United States are still the highest authority in Puerto Rico, and the residents do not have voting representation in the Congress. This indicates that the citizens of Puerto Rico do not have the very same rights as residents of the United States, as they can not enact the Congress. This quote highlights the special political status of Puerto Rico, and the lack of representation that the residents have in the United States government.
"If the present Congress errs in too much talking, how can it be otherwise in a body to which the people send one hundred and fifty lawyers, whose trade it is to question everything, yield nothing, and talk by the hour?"
"We the people are the rightful masters of both Congress and the courts, not to overthrow the Constitution but to overthrow the men who pervert the Constitution"
"I am not liked as a President by the politicians in office, in the press, or in Congress. But I am content to abide the judgment the sober second thought of the people"
"Unauthorized access to computer systems is already a serious crime in a few states and is currently being addressed in many more state legislatures as well as Congress"
"The new Congress needs to move quickly to strengthen the Army and Marines - not to send more troops to Iraq - but to rebuild our capacity to meet national security threats globally"
