Federal Aid?  Are You Kidding?

People 
(no, not just people but US citizens) 

are being killed by the Federal 
government of the US {through 
sins of omission and commission}).

US Navy medical vessel “Comfort”
(Comfort, comfort, my people) 
with 800 medical personnel and 
hundreds of beds is treating seven 
or eight US citizens.

Why so many?

(Are you kidding? What about the 
guy in need of dialysis? Can't 
get no satisfaction. He's gonna 
die. 

What's with the gal who needs
inhalers for her asthma? She, too, 
is gonna die.)  

It's only sixteen deaths, 
the feds say --
so many less 
than on the mainland.

They are dying slowly of neglect --
(sins of omission and commission.)

What are they doing on board with 
all that spare time? (Vacationing
on deck while watching sexy women 
rumba all over the island?) 

There is no electric power for 
the vast majority. (Candles are 
so romantic, they say.) 

There is no potable water for about 
100% of those US citizens. (Wine is
good for the stomach and promoting 
erotic thoughts for erogenous zones
they say.) 

Hardly any medical care;
    hardly any electricity; 
          hardly any clean water. 

(Vacations, romance, wine! Arriba!
Arriba! Arriba! they shout.)

Has anyone seen compassion coming out 
of Washington?

Whhaatt? With vacations, romance and wine 
on an exotic Caribbean island, who 
needs compassion?

Why? Is it just Washington incompetence? 

(Maybe) 

Are they being punished? 

(Hard to believe and, if so, for what?)

Because they have a large debt 
they owe the federal government? 

(Hard to believe.) 

(It’s so hard to believe.) 

(Everything is so hard to believe 
about any of why this is happening 
to US citizens who need the help 
of the US federal government.) 

Maybe, it’s actually quite simple. 

Maybe, it’s because the vast majority 
of the US citizens living in Puerto 
Rico are brown or black, 

and even though they hold citizenship 
maybe we should only consider, for 
counting purposes, blacks and browns
who would then count as three-fifths
of the white population (like in 
the original US Constitution) for 
purposes of voting on the island
for purposes of not letting the 
islanders have influence they don't
deserve in Washington,

Or half
or one-quarter
or one-eighth
or one-tenth
or one-hundredth
or zero 

which is actually what all US
citizens in Puerto have -- 
whites, browns, blacks have --
no federal votes, so why should 
the federal government care?
 
Besides, the Puerto Ricans seem to be on 
some kind of a perpetual “Sandals” -- like
vacation in paradise.

(Oh, those childlike browns and blacks --
so happy without US white interference
except to wait rightfully on whites 
who vacation in paradise, they say.)

Those in Washington are probably
just jealous at the thought of those 
sweaty natives who drink great 
Caribbean drinks like pina colada 
and rum and coke and smoke dope -- 
sexy blacks and browns who 
on the hot, humid, nights 
dance the night away in hip-
hugging pants and cleavage 
down to their belly buttons 
to the erotic beat of steel drums.

(Federal aid?  Are you kidding? they ask.)  

It's called murder in paradise.