deliriouslove1970. The life & times of Gary and Denise Flanders. (Free and worth every penny. If you would like to compliment the editor, send to garytheflan@deliriouslove1970.com. If you would like to complain, call your mother.)

Hanging in our Lanai door in our new home in Denver Colorado: The Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. PR is a Caribbean Island and unincorporated territory of the United States. It is 1,000 miles southeast of Miami Florida. The word Puerto Rico is Spanish for ‘Rich port’.

“The Commonwealth is an archipelago among the Greater Antilles located between the Dominican Republic and the U.S. Virgin Islands; it includes the eponymous main island and several smaller islands, such as Mona, Culebra, and Vieques. The capital and most populous city is San Juan. Puerto Rico has roughly 3.2 million residents, exceeding over 20 U.S. states. Spanish and English are the official languages of the executive branch of government, though Spanish predominates.”

Once the Spanish had wiped out a vast number of the Taino people they began ‘importing’ African slaves to work the agricultural businesses. Spain outlawed slavery and the African slaves were freed. A fusion of the Taino and Africans ‘brought about’ the Puerto Rican population.

In 1898 as a result of the Spanish – American War, the United States ‘acquired’ Puerto Rico. Since 1917 the people of Puerto Rico have been US citizens. They have a non-voting member in congress.

The flag was officially adopted in 1952. It is based on an ancient heraldic design. The revolutionary flag of Lares was from the rebellion of 1868.

The official PR flag consists of “Five equal horizontal bands of red (top and bottom) alternating with white; blue equilateral triangle based on the hoist side bears a large, white, five-pointed star in the center. (Official colors of the flag)”

I visited San Juan Puerto Rico 8 years ago. I found it to be a beautiful lush island with honest, humble and gracious people. I have a fantastic story involving a lost wallet and a group of taxi drivers who spent hours tracking down what I left laying on a taxi seat. I would go back in a heartbeat.

The question of the official relationship between the US and Puerto Rico is a current issue. In the November 2020 election the PR people were asked if they would favor becoming an official US state, 52% answered positively. I would favor statehood for Puerto Rico, and I am still waiting for a phone call from Washington DC to ask for my opinion.