Today the radio airwaves in Puerto Rico were talking about two issues: the US Supreme Court nomination of Puerto Rican descent Sonia Sotomayor and the endless political status issue that has burdened Puerto Ricans for more than 50 years since Puerto Rico became a self governing country in a political association pact with the US as a Estado Libre Asociado (US Congress translation: Commonwealth, Literal translation: Associated Free State (state as in country or nation, not as a US federated state or province) in 1952. Association that has been criticize as a colonial relationship since Puerto Rico's sovereignty is being held by the US Congress ever since the US invaded Puerto Rico in 1898.
In a college thesis, the now nominated Sonia Sotomayor supported Puerto Rican independence.
One of the hosts of Radio Isla top rated morning talk show was elated with the news that Sonia Sotomayor was being nominated. "This is a slap in the face for those vende patria who favor annexation of Puerto Rico to the US as a state". A slap to the ''vende patria'', a derogatory name which means 'those who sell their country, their fatherland'' and which is used to name those who favor US statehood for Puerto Rico. Many radio listeners were happy with the news.
In a 1976 college thesis at Princeton University Sonia Sotomayor wrote
Ms. Sotomayor’s apparent support for Puerto Rican independence reflected her concern over preservation of the island’s culture. She wrote: "The experiences of Alaska and Hawaii since statehood with cultural destruction has been indicative of the cultural loss Puerto Rico would eventual [sic] face if statehood for the island were chosen
The leading newspaper in Puerto Rico El Nuevo Dia also confirms today that she was an independence sympathizer.
The political status of the island, mostly ignored by the US press, has been a top priority for all politicians and political parties in Puerto Rico, and it has been international news as well for more than half a century. The last time this happened was in 2008, when Puerto Rico's former Head of Government went to the United Nations to denounce the colonial relationship between Puerto Rico and the US and reclaimed a sovereign status, not a territorial or colonial one. His political party has proposed an enhanced commonwealth in which Puerto Rico regains it's sovereignty and it is free from a territorial status under the US Congress power; the party supports this option since 1998 and was ratified again in 2008 in the party's congress.
In 2008, the United Nations decolonization committee approved a resolution calling the US to expedite a self determination process, a process that would allow the Puerto Rican people to exercise their inalienable right to self-determination and independence.
In 2009 it is expected another round of talks at the United Nations concerning Puerto Rico's status.
More recently, this month 6 Puerto Rican artists and musicians interrupted the US Congress session, singing patriotic puerto rican folk songs, with banners that read '' 111 years of colony is a shame, End the colony" ''Puerto Rico is the oldest colony of the world , Freedom for Puerto Rico" and "Citizens of US: Puerto Rico is still a colony, help us be free"; with songs and banners they denounced the colonial relationship of Puerto Rico with the US. They received a hero's welcome at their arrival in San Juan.(video here from Puerto Rico tv network