IMPORTANT!

Firing Range in Catalina Island?
The US Navy can offer "One Stop Shopping!" Bombing
(Will the US NAVY use Catalina Island for their Bombing Practices?)

"One Stop Shopping!" can be the theme of the US Navy, looking for an island to use as an alternative to Vieques Island in Puerto Rico. The phrase was part of the US Navy Internet page, selling the place to other nations around the globe. The Californian Island of Santa Catalina can be a firing and bombing practices range instead of a caribbean island, if the US Navy go out of Vieques in Puerto Rico (USA).

Different from Vieques, Catalina Island "does not have 9,000 US citizens living in the place and historical settings like this caribbean US island". About 2/3 of Catalina Island can be converted into a firing and bombing range. The Island is in a privileged place in the Pacific Ocean, were countries from all the world can bomb and fire the Island paying a fee like they are doing now in Vieques.

Firing from the ocean and using amphibious vessels, the US Navy and soldiers from european, south and asian countries can bomb the whitesand beaches and nature's fauna and flora. The US Navy has been accussed in Puerto Rico by US scientists to use radioactive bullets of uranium in the 9,000 US citizens populated island after a report of the Navy. The cancer rate has rise and is higher than other places in the island of Puerto Rico and the continental US.

"Probably the US Navy will have to move actual residents by bying their land in an expropiation federal and state executive orders like they did in 1941 to the Vieques landowners. Sorry, no deals. The living area of the Island can be between Two Harbor or Avaton and the bombing practices can be at the north and south of the island."

"In the Island live less people than in Vieques, so taking them out of the land for the Navy pourposes will be easy. Tourist can have the center of the island for their leaisure activities. And, who cares about an island that does have small population, is just a tourist place and can serve the Nation for defensive pourposes? The Navy said has 27 million dollars to invest in the Island they choose, so they can use it for rising the tourist interest for the civilian lands in Catalina Island. I hope the residents of Catalina Island understand this. This is a patriotic action of US citizenship. America will be grateful to Catalina residents." commented a US analyst.

Part of the island practices that can be in Catalina Island were written in a Navy Internet page about Vieques:

"One Stop Shopping!
The Inner Range is a multi-purpose target complex
located on the eastern portion of Vieques Island
encompassing 10,800 acres and the surrounding
airspace and waters. It consists of the eastern
training area, amphibious beaches, small arms
ranges, a live impact area, and practice minefields.

The complex can support air-to-ground, mine
delivery, naval gunfire, artillery exercises, and
subsurface assaults. Real time critique data is
available for all exercises and a visual scoring
system is capable of measuring bomb drops within 1
foot. The complex allows a full amphibious assault
to be conducted in the most realistic training
environment in the world."

The Vieques Island is rising the issue about using populated islands for firing and bombing pourposes, so near of towns that the bombing and jets flying is shaking their houses and not giving democratical life in peace. If the Navy use the Catalina Island for about 40 years as now in Vieques, after that, they will have to clean the place of bombs, chemicals and radioactive materials. That will need probably an EPA Superfund money.

Some people will be telling the Navy to look for an unpopulated island to use it for bombing and firing practices either Viqeues Island nor Catalina Island. Other can be accepting the movement of this practices and can be preparing the place for this 27 million dollars investment that can fill their pockets with night and day bombing..

If you don't want the Navy in Catalina Island or Vieques Island, please send E-mails to the President, Federal and State Congressmen and the Navy. If Ok, do so.

URL for reference:
Struggle for Human Rights in Vieques
http://www.vieques-island.com/news24.html

Photo published in the US NAVY offical page about Vieques this year. Vieques, Puerto Rico (Caribbean USA).

So, you thought that is real? How you feel? Angry? Now you know how Boricuas feel, REALLY!