United States Territories, Is Statehood Possible?

XFixYourBrainX: Territory/Capital/Year Acquired

Midway Islands - None - 1867

Puerto Rico - San Juan - 1898

American Samoa - Pago Pago - 1899

Virgin Islands - Charlotte Amalie - 1927

Federated States of Micronesia - Pohnpei - 1947; Gained independence in 1986. Currently in Free Association with the United States

Marshall Islands - Majuro - 1947; Gained independence in 1990. Currently in Free Association with the United States

Northern Mariana Islands - Saipan - 1947

Palua - Koror - 1947; Gained independence in 1994. Currently in Free Association with the United States

Guam - Agana - 1950


These are the territories occupied by the United States government. Some of these territories are on US coined quarters, the US is representing these territories, but they are not states.

Under Article IV, Section Three of the United States Constitution, which outlines the relationship among the states, Congress has the power to admit new states to the union. The states are required to give "full faith and credit" to the acts of each other's legislatures and courts, which is generally held to include the recognition of legal contracts, marriages, and criminal judgments. The states are guaranteed military and civil defense by the federal government, which is also obligated by Article IV, Section Four, to "guarantee to every state in this union a republican form of government." New states are admitted into the Union by the precedents and procedures established by the Northwest Ordinance. Following the precedent established by the Enabling Act of 1802, an Enabling Act must be passed by Congress as a prerequisite to admission. The act authorizes the people of a territory to frame a constitution, and lays down the requirements that must be met prior to consideration for statehood.

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/51st_state

chronology: Pokerman. Interesting Thread given the Vote on Palestinian Statehood next month. The U.S. may be in violation of the U.N. Laws regarding imperialism by occupying these islands and Territories (Britain satisfied a U.N. Inspection Team that it was not imposing Imperialism on Gibralta some years back. It is unlikely any sensible person would accuse Washington of direct 'Imperialism' but the U.S. may be 'technically' in violation of anti-Imperialism Laws by it's continued 'occupation' of these Territories, just as Israel is of the West Bank.

Interesting Thread Pokerman.

davidk14: .

Not a word from Chrono on Syria murdering its own population or even the death and destruction of ten’s of thousands of souls in Somalia...not a word... but how he just loves to bash Israel whenever he can.

Syrian Troops Storm Town Near Turkish Border, Kill at Least 11
Published August 11, 2011
Associated Press

BEIRUT – The Syrian army shot dead 11 people in a western town near the Lebanese border on Thursday and stormed a northwestern town near Turkey's border, activists said.

The shooting in the western town of Qusair also wounded many others, according to several Syrian human rights and activists groups.

A U.S.-based international human rights groups released a report Wednesday night accusing Syrian authorities of targeting medical facilities, health workers and their patients. It called on the government to safeguard doctors' obligations to provide neutral and ethical care for civilians.

Physicians for Human Rights said security forces control access to hospitals, and many injured civilians in need of critical care are forgoing treatment because they fear being detained and tortured if they seek care at government-controlled medical facilities.

"In addition to the widely reported atrocities committed by the government, PHR has received reports of serious violations of medical neutrality in Syria," a statement by the group said.

It also quoted a group of Syrian physicians as saying 134 doctors have either been detained by the government or have disappeared.

"The soldiers and security forces destroyed everything, they didn't leave anything. We are in God's hands," one man they spoke to said, speaking on condition of anonymity for fear of reprisal.

On the same day, Syrian security forces shot dead at least 15 people in the central flashpoint city of Homs, according to the LCC.


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chronology: David my dear boy, Pokerman is talking about U.S. Territories, how you have managed to put a Zionist spin on all this amazes me, and probably other people here as well. David, not one critical word was said about Israel by Pokerman or me. I have images of the Israeli flag flying on the Marshel Islands or some other Pacific Island. And you David singing the the Israel National Anthem, (I would sooner sing 'The Red Neck National Antham' myself. Anyway, I have read all of your post David.

Malobear: Hey Chrono,you were the one that steered the thread to the middle-east.How about the topic. As far as foreign flags flying over these places,so? I am sure there is many government representatives with their flag flying high above their offices.

davidk14: .

Chrono..have you missed taking your medication once again????

A) You started your post on this thread with, "… Interesting Thread given the Vote on Palestinian Statehood next month.”

B) And then ended with, “…by its continued 'occupation' of these Territories, just as Israel is of the West Bank.”

C) And then you respond to my comment with, “how you have managed to put a Zionist spin on all this amazes me…not one critical word was said about Israel by Pokerman or me.”

You know what your doctor said would happen if you missed your hourly regiment of psychiatric drugs…you become extraordinarily delusional.

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XFixYourBrainX: Congress has the power to admit new states to the union. Also if a territory does get admitted as a new state to the United States. The states are guaranteed military and civil defense by the federal government. Most commonly, the possibility of Puerto Rico becoming 51st state was discussed as a possible outcome of a proposed series of referendums to decide a change to that island's political organization

XFixYourBrainX: Many of these territories we have heard of, and are becoming extremely Americanized in standards of cultural ties between the United States and its territories.

xanderiley: Could we skip the intellectual striptease and get to the point?

chronology: David ................. I mentioned the vote being taken in the U.N. next month because it is exactly about what Pokerman is talking about here #should occupied Territories become Independent States', you then come on giving us a blow by blow account of Syrian Tanks involved in Urban Pacification, what the hell has that got to do with what Pokerman is talking about? Look, it is your privilege to love Israel as much as you do and defend the country all the time on any Forum you go on, but you are hypersensitive and run off at the keyboard with accusations and insults. There you go again, you have got us all focused on the Israel issue.

Getting back to Pokermans interesting Thread......

Pokerman, the Mandate you refer of the U.S. Congress providing Military Security and Civil enablements may no longer be valid in the light of the U.N.s Decolonisation Commitment. Britain was subjected to an inspection by the U.N. in Gibraltar and was found to be not running the Micronation as a Colony. You refer to the 'Americanisation' of the Micro Nations in the Pacific, but this may not fall under the rules the U.N. uses to describe 'Colonisation'. It is simply that folks there enjoy American Culture. You will find people in Japan, England, Germany, Ireland etc watching American T.V. and Movies, eating at Burger King, listening to Ipods etc, they do this for personal preference reasons, people like doing fun things, for the most part American Culture is fun and attractive.

There are complex issues involved in Puerto Reco becoming a State. The most contentious reasons are U.S. Citizenship Rights and Federal Tax responsibilities.

davidk14: .

Chrono said:…the Mandate you refer of the U.S. Congress providing Military Security and Civil enablement’s may no longer be valid in the light of the U.N.s Decolonization Commitment.

David responds: Once again, research is not your mantra. The UN National Trusteeship Council stated that there are “16” Non-Self-Governing-Territories” that are left on the face of this planet.

The two under the US flag are Guam and the US Virgin Islands. Many of the other “non-self-governing-territories” many under the UK flag, have populations less than 8,000 inhabitants and can not support self determination.

Again nothing to do with the validity of US military security and civil enablements and the UN’s Decolonization Commitments. Do some research will ya??

And back to your tantrum…

WTF does the West Bank have to do with decolonization? You mentioned it. So I’ll answer it for you.

Absolutely nothing.

So why would you bring up that area of the world that has nothing to do with decolonization? You said you mentioned the vote being taken in the U.N. next month because it is exactly about what Pokerman is talking about here, should occupied Territories become Independent States.

But, once again, what you fail to realize or accept, the West Bank is not a colony and never was but is, by legal definition, Israel. As I have stated numberous times on other threads which you have been unable to respond to these facts, Israel won that land from Jordan in 1967. When the peace negotiations between the Israeli’s and Jordanians took place, the Jordanians did not take the West Bank back but they did sign a peace agreement that the Israeli’s were the new landlords…not the Palestinians. Fact. Legally, the land is Israeli and ya know what, the Israelis want to "desperately give the West Bank to the Palestinians as their homeland". Israel evacuated the Gaza, which Israel won from Egypt in the same 1967 war, evacuated the Gaza as a starting point in creating a Palestinian homeland but people like you refuse to see this reality and refuse to recognize Israel’s right to exist within defensible borders. And you also have not condemned Syria or Iran for slaughtering their own people. Now why is that? Why have you not posted anything on the Somalia tread? I wonder why that is as well.

There is book you should read – Jews, God, and History. You can pick it up for $8.95USD from Amazon.com or at your local library. Perhaps you can broaden your horizons.

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chronology: David my dear Boy, you are impossible, totally impossible. You seem to relish the high exhilaration of indignation. You positively wallow in a pool of anger. Spitting your venom at anyone near the pools edge.

Anyway, my outraged and indignant Zionist boy, no word about Porto Rico? May I suggest you cool off with some ice tea and a refreshing Menthol cigarette. The view of the sunset in Arizona is delicious at this time of year.

davidk14: .

Chrono said: Anyway, my outraged and indignant Zionist boy, no word about Porto Rico?

David responds: First, don’t disrespect the citizens and spell the name correctly…Puerto Rico (roll the tongue on the R's)

And IF you had done a simpleton Wiki search, you would have found this:

The relationship between Puerto Rico and the United States has its origins dating back to the Spanish-American War, in which Spain, under the terms of the Treaty of Paris of 1898, ceded the island to the United States.

[Now pay close attention to this Chrono]

Puerto Ricans are U.S. citizens and the United States Congress legislates many aspects of Puerto Rican life.

However, the islanders may not vote in U.S. presidential elections.[11][12] Since 1947, Puerto Ricans have been able to elect their own governor. Its official languages are Spanish and English, with Spanish being the primary language. The island's current political status, including the possibility of statehood or independence, is widely debated in Puerto Rico.

(Come on Chrono....You have got to do a better job researching your frickin material. I’ve mentioned this to you before.)

_________________________________


Chrono said: The view of the sunset in Arizona is delicious at this time of year.

David responds: HTFDYK? Have you ever been here this time of year? Its frickin 110F frickin degrees out here!!! Nobody gives a flying f*uck about sunsets!!! Anybody standing outside at sunset needs 1,000,000 frickin sun block!!! I don’t even want to walk the frickin dogs! The dogs don’t even want to go outside!!!

“Here doggies…time for a walk.”



(F*ck you…I aint going pee outside…have you ever placed your ass within a few inches of 160 pavement!!! F*uck you you basterd human beings making us dogs pee outside when it's 100F day after day you sick f*cks! I’ll just wait and hold it until you go to work and piss all over your f*ckin cloths you as*hole makin me pee outside you d*ckhead)

So Chrono, don’t you go tellin me “I suggest you cool off with some ice tea and a refreshing Menthol cigarette. The view of the sunset in Arizona is delicious at this time of year.”

I drink enough iced tea to float a battleship. You know how much caffeine I take in daily!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And menthol smokes are for sissies!!!!!!!!!!!!

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chronology: David my dear boy calm down. You are positively fizzing with anger, are you a 'rage junkie' or something?. Try walking in the Air Conditioned Malls if the heat bothers you.

You would be surprised what I know about Arizona. Like how when you are driving at night in the desert the heat changes from coming from the sky to coming from the ground as the night air cools and the ground remains warm. At 70 mph that is pleasant to drive through.

And don't diss Menthol cigarettes, they are the perfection of satisfaction. Never too strong to take away your desire for satisfaction, but never to weak to prevent you reaching for their aromatic chilly taste.

XFixYourBrainX: David says, However, the islanders may not vote in U.S. presidential elections.[11][12] Since 1947, Puerto Ricans have been able to elect their own governor. Its official languages are Spanish and English, with Spanish being the primary language. The island's current political status, including the possibility of statehood or independence, is widely debated in Puerto Rico."

I have to mention the territories that are French in Canada, are in retrospect to Puerto Rico being a territory in the United States. But those French territories in Canada are technically states of Canada and of the primary languages French is one. Puerto Rico is a territory of the United States, but Puerto Rico is not by law a State for now. The criteria that I mentioned in my first post must come to pass. But I do believe it is only a matter of time until Puerto Rico does become the 51st State of the United States of America.

davidk14: Chrono said: You would be surprised what I know about Arizona.

David responds: Oh really now. Like when you walk from your car to that air conditioned mall that the asphalt under your feet moves because it has melted like the surface of Mercury? And when you leave that wonderful air conditioned mall, you are greeted with a blast of 180F degree air when you try and enter your car and then your steering wheel sticks to your hands because it’s so f*ickin hot????? It gets so hot inside of automobiles here that if you don’t “c*$%~” a window, you have the distinct possibility that your windows will implode.

Other than that for about 3 months, the weather for the rest of the year is absolutely phenomenal. I’ve lived here for 33+ years and go through this every summer. But as I said, the rest of the year, the weather is wonderful.

Now I’m being cold sober serious…

…..the worst, the very worst of the worst during summer here in Arizona, …When a parent leaves a kid in the car for whatever reason, the child is dead within minutes. This takes place a couple of times a week. Very, very few survive. Very, very sad. Pool deaths among children are very high here during summer as well….very few survive and the ones that do who have been under water too long, are turned into living vegetables.

Some folks leave their pets in the car with the window cracked open “for just a few minutes” only to return to a dead dog. I’ve seen people breaking car windows at supermarkets rescuing animals. Cops are called and people arrested for cruelty to animals. Parents that leave kids in the car are charged with child abuse and if the child dies, murder charges are filed. No one has ever been charged with breaking into a car for rescuing a child or animal.

There are constant public service announcements on all TV and radio stations warning people of these dangers. The fatalities have fallen the last couple of decades, but they still happen.

These horrible situations are unfortunately the result of summers that consistently hover around 105F. So when someone says what wonderful sunsets during the summer here in Arizona or how cool it is during a night drive in the desert, just doesn’t make me feel like jumping for joy. Just heard it's going to be 104 - 107 F for the next three days.

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XFixYourBrainX: Chronology says, You refer to the 'Americanisation' of the Micro Nations in the Pacific, but this may not fall under the rules the U.N. uses to describe 'Colonisation'. It is simply that folks there enjoy American Culture. You will find people in Japan, England, Germany, Ireland etc watching American T.V. and Movies, eating at Burger King, listening to Ipods etc, they do this for personal preference reasons, people like doing fun things, for the most part American Culture is fun and attractive."

American culture is spread among the world indeed, but Americanized territories are extremely influenced to the point that our government guides these citizens. More than so of people just enjoying the American culture, because its more of a political action of influence for these people that live in these Americanized territories. These people so influenced by America they want to be part of America, its about having a nationalism to be proud of, its about having pride and spreading their influence into America, because America is often refereed as the "mixing pot"

chronology: Pokerman. Good points you have made, but as David has pointed out, you are talking about a few thousand people who (no disrespect to them) are irrelevant Politically speaking, (you could then retort by asking 'then what was the Falkland war about?) I would respond 'ask an Argentine'.

And David, do calm down Old Chap, you sound positively 'fizzing' with anger.