Do Not Make Puerto Rico The 51st State

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Do Not Make Puerto Rico the 51st State
The Conservative Caucus
450 Maple Avenue East * Vienna, Va. 22180 * 703-938-9626

Excerpted from Howard Phillips Issues & Strategy Bulletin of December 15, 2009

STATEHOOD FOR PUERTO RICO?

"The never-ending debate over Puerto Rico’s political status is again knocking on Congress’ door, but the island’s politicians are betting that a host of new factors will mean that this time they won’t be turned away.

"Their hopes center on a bill that would sanction a plebiscite – or survey – on whether Puerto Ricans want to keep the island’s current status. If a majority vote for a new status, a second plebiscite would give three options: statehood, independence or ‘sovereignty in association with the United States.’

"Similar legislation has never made it far in the past, thanks to a sharply divided electorate in Puerto Rico and the unwillingness of many lawmakers to get caught in the middle. Most of the island’s residents belong to one of two camps: those who want Puerto Rico to become a state and those who want it to be a ‘new commonwealth’ with more political autonomy."

STATEHOOD SUPPORTERS DESIGNED THE STRATEGY

"The plebiscite bill is the brainchild of statehood supporters, raising the suspicion of commonwealthers and thus hindering its progress through Congress in the past. But Puerto Rico Resident Commissioner Pedro Pierluisi (D) argues that this year’s version of the bill has more support than ever, with 182 sponsors, 58 of whom are Republicans. In 2007, a similar bill garnered a total of 132 sponsors.

" ‘This time around, the difference is we’re ready. Now the only matter remaining is to take it to the floor,’ Pierluisi said in a recent interview. ‘I am confident that it will get a very substantial majority when it gets to the floor and that it will get substantial votes from both sides of the aisle.’ …

"Unlike last Congress, the island’s politicians are solidly behind the plebiscite. Gov. Luis Fortuño (R) backed a similar bill in 2007 when he was Resident Commissioner, and a majority of Puerto Rico’s legislators want the bill to pass.

"Jeffrey Farrow, a co-chairman of former President Bill Clinton’s Interagency Group on Puerto Rico, said that such a united front helps the bill’s chances ‘an enormous amount.’

" ‘The fact that the previous governor was against the bill in the last two Congresses was an impediment because of deference to a governor, because he had developed ties with Members as Resident Commissioner, and because he used government resources to pay for extensive lobbying against it,’ Farrow said." Source: Emily Yehle, Roll Call, 10/19/09, pp. 3, 22

Excerpted from Howard Phillips Issues & Strategy Bulletin of November 15, 2009

PUERTO RICO STATEHOOD IS AN EMERGING POSSIBILITY

"H.R. 2499, the so-called Puerto Rico Democracy Act, is already on calendar and will be put before the House for a vote sometime this month. On its face, it simply authorizes a plebiscite on whether Puerto Rico wants to remain a commonwealth, become a state, or become an independent nation associated or not with the United States. Sounds innocent enough, but get some background and put a magnifying glass on the bill’s voting scheme and you will discover a ruse.

"Puerto Ricans have never favored statehood. When the pro-statehood party called for a vote on Puerto Rico’s status in 1993, commonwealth got 48.6 percent of the vote, statehood 46.3 and independence 4.4. The statehood party tried again in 1998, seeking to improve its chances by tinkering with the commonwealth’s definition and splitting its vote by adding a fourth option called free association, regarded by some as a variant of commonwealth. Statehood again came in second with just 46.5 percent of the vote."

A SECOND ROUND KNOCKOUT?

"To get around their consistent second-place results, the pro-statehood forces behind H.R. 2499 have come up with the nifty idea of dividing the voting process into two rounds. The first round is a yes-or-no vote on the current commonwealth status. This setup is meant to allow the statehood, independence and free-association groups to join forces as one opposition group and beat the commonwealth option, even though commonwealth is preferred to any of them. Commonwealth will then be excluded from the second round, thus guaranteeing a statehood victory.

"H.R. 2499 is a democratic travesty. No two-round election anywhere in the world has been run like this. Runoffs are always between the two most favored options. But here, the second, third and fourth choices may defeat the historical top choice in a first round by acting as a coalition and so force a second round among those less-favored options. In the end, statehood will come out a winner even though a majority does not want it."

SELF DECLARED STATEHOOD IN THE WORKS?

"Many in Congress are playing into that democratic hoax, perhaps because they do not have the time or interest to see through the apparent innocuousness of H.R. 2499 and discover its true anti-democratic nature. Some support it because they think the vote is non-binding. But the statehood party has stated in its platform that when victorious they will do as Tennessee did in 1795 – declare Puerto Rico a state and send an elected delegation to Congress demanding to be seated. Alaska did that in 1956-’59 and got away with it.

"Sponsors of the bill better think again. San Juan, Puerto Rico" Source: José A. Hernández-Mayoral (secretary of federal and international affairs, Popular Democratic Party of Puerto Rico), The Hill, 11/6/09, p. 16

Excerpted from Howard Phillips Issues & Strategy Bulletin of October 31, 2009

PUERTO RICO STATEHOOD WOULD DRAMATICALLY CHANGE AMERICA

"Puerto Ricans are a defiant people. In four elections, they have told supporters of U.S. territorial expansion, ‘Thanks but no thanks, we don’t want to become the 51st state.’

"But ‘No’ is never an acceptable answer to modern U.S. Manifest Destiny advocates who are determined to push American power deep into the Caribbean, notwithstanding those stubborn Puerto Ricans."

THE FIRST HISPANIC LANGUAGE STATE?

"They are well along on their latest scheme to transform the island and its 4 million mostly Spanish-speaking inhabitants into the first Hispanic state. Puerto Rico’s pro-statehood delegate to Congress, Democrat Pedro R. Pierluisi, is moving a bill, H.R. 2499, that would make Puerto Ricans vote on the issue of statehood yet again. This time, however, statehood supporters are leaving nothing to chance. They have pulled out all the stops to rig the voting process in favor of statehood.

"[I]n 1998, Puerto Rico’s pro-statehood governor, Pedro Rossello, came up with a new strategy. Instead of just three options, voters would be given five. The plan was to dilute the commonwealth vote and win at least a plurality for statehood. In addition to the three previous choices, two new ones were added to the ballot: something called ‘independence in free association with the U.S.’ and the old favorite, ‘none of the above.’ …

"H.R. 2499 calls for a two-stage plebiscite. In round one, voters will have just two options: the current, i.e. commonwealth, status, or ‘some other status.’ The idea is that the 3 percent to 5 percent of voters who traditionally vote for independence will join statehood voters and produce a majority for ‘some other status.’

"If that happens, there will be a second round of voting in which voters again will have just two effective options: statehood or some form of independence. Puerto Ricans of all political stripes recognize that they cannot hope to maintain their relatively high standard of living without the subsidies and federal money they receive from Uncle Sam. So, as pro-commonwealth Puerto Rican Sen. Juan Hernandez-Mayoral observes, ‘with the commonwealth option out of the ballot, statehood is finally, albeit crookedly, assured a victory.’

"But limiting voters’ choices could still fail. Puerto Ricans in the United States are known to lean toward statehood. So, to tip the scales even further, H.R. 2499 gives the millions of U.S. citizens who were born in Puerto Rico the right to vote absentee – an unprecedented franchise that blatantly discriminates against other U.S. citizens."

KEEP VOTING UNTIL THEY GET IT RIGHT

"And just in case Puerto Ricans still don’t cooperate, H.R. 2499 stipulates they have to continue voting using the same rigged process every eight years until eternity.

"All this manipulation would be amusing were it not for the consequences of making a Spanish-speaking territory our 51st state. Unless Puerto Rico were required to make English the language of its government as a pre-condition for joining the Union, it would permanently divide the United States along linguistic lines, with all the conflicts and costs that would generate." Source: K.C. McAlpin (executive director of ProEnglish), The Washington Times, 10/27/09, p. A19

Excerpted from Howard Phillips Issues & Strategy Bulletin of March 15, 1998

DAN QUAYLE ENDORSES PUERTO RICAN STATEHOOD

Concerning statehood for Puerto Rico, former Vice President Dan Quayle, appearing on Meet the Press (NBC, 3/15/98), said: "If two-thirds of the people of Puerto Rico vote for statehood, then I think we'd be in a position to try to have them become a state."

PUERTO RICO STATEHOOD IS NOT DEAD IN THE SENATE

According to The New York Times (3/6/98, p. A14), "Senator Alfonse M. D'Amato, Republican of New York, who is running for re-election this year, is... a strong supporter of the House bill. Mr. D'Amato has received more money in campaign contributions from Puerto Ricans living in Puerto Rico than any other senator. ‘We're going to work to bring it to a vote and give the people of Puerto Rico the right of self-determination,’ Mr. D'Amato said."

KENNEDY EXPECTED TO JOIN AL D'AMATO IN PUSHING STATEHOOD

"On the other side of the Capitol, Representative Patrick J. Kennedy, Democrat of Rhode Island and a strong advocate of the House bill, said he met today with his father, Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Democrat of Massachusetts, to try to persuade him to back a bill. The Kennedys have been longtime allies of supporters of commonwealth status, who oppose the House bill. ‘He's almost there,’ Mr. Kennedy said of his father. ‘I'm working on him.’...."

HALEY BARBOUR AND HAROLD ICKES WERE PAID TO PUSH STATEHOOD

The statehood legislation which passed the GOP-controlled House Resources Committee by a vote of 44 to 1 engendered widespread lobbying activity before votes on the House floor: "Lobbyists on both sides of the Puerto Rico issue clearly have had a field day on Capitol Hill in recent weeks. About two dozen lobbying concerns have spent millions of dollars to push the bill or defeat it, with statehood supporters leading the pack."

"Harold M. Ickes, the former deputy White House chief of staff, and Haley Barbour, the former chairman of the Republican National Committee, both labored for pro-statehood clients.

"And Puerto Ricans have dug deep into their pockets for this year's elections. National party committees and members of Congress have received more than $500,000 in campaign contributions from residents of the island."

REPUBLICANS KILLED ENGLISH LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT

Prior to the 209-208 House floor vote paving the way for subsequent Senate action, the GOP House voted 238 to 182 (Roll Call no. 29, 3/4/98) to support legislation blocking a proposal to require that English be the official language.

Republicans who voted those Republicans voting in favor of Burton amendmentagainst making the primacy of English a prerequisite for Puerto Rican statehood included: Ballenger (N.C.), Barton (Tex.), Boehlert (N.Y.), Bonilla (Tex.), Burton (Ind.), Buyer (Ind.), Camp (Mich.), Campbell (Calif.), Cannon (Utah), Castle (Del.), Cook (Utah), Diaz-Balart (Fla.), Ehlers (Mich.), Ehrlich (Md.), English (Pa.), Ensign (Nev.), Foley (Fla.), Forbes (N.Y.), Fox (Pa.), Gallegly (Calif.), Gekas (Pa.), Gibbons (Nev.), Gilchrest (Md.), Gilman (N.Y.), Granger (Tex.), Greenwood (Pa.), Hansen (Utah), Hostettler (Ind.), Houghton (N.Y.), Hulshof (Mo.), Kelly (N.Y.), Kim (Calif.), Klug (Wisc.), Kolbe (Ariz.), Lazio (N.Y.), Leach (Iowa), McCollum (Fla.), McInnis (Colo.), McKeon (Calif.), Mica (Fla.), Morella (Md.), Oxley (Ohio), Pombo (Calif.), Portman (Ohio), Redmond (N.M.), Riggs (Calif.), Ros-Lehtinen (Fla.), Saxton (N.J.), Shaw (Fla.), Skeen (N.M.), Smith (N.J.), Tauzin (La.), Thornberry (Tex.), Walsh (N.Y.), and Young (Alaska).

This included 21 Republicans who, on final passage (Roll Call no. 37, 3/4/98), voted against statehood (208-209). These 21 were: Ballenger (N.C.), Barton (Tex.), Camp (Mich.), Campbell (Calif.), Castle (Del.), Cook (Utah), Ehrlich (Md.), Ensign (Nev.), Fox (Pa.), Gibbons (Nev.), Greenwood (Pa.), Hansen (Utah), Hostettler (Ind.), Houghton (N.Y.), Hulshof (Mo.), Klug (Wisc.), McInnis (Colo.), Oxley (Ohio), Portman (Ohio), Shaw (Fla.), and Thornberry (Tex.).

PUERTO RICAN STATEHOOD COULD COST GOP 12 U.S. REPS

Wes Pruden points out (The Washington Times, 3/10/98, p. A4) that those six additional House seats to be assigned Puerto Rico under statehood (along with two seats in the U.S. Senate) are likely to come from Republican districts in Mississippi, Connecticut, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, and Pennsylvania.

Depending on the way redistricting works out, it could involve a net loss of 12 seats in the House of Representatives for the GOP. That could be fitting recompense for the Machiavellian maneuvers regarding Puerto Rican statehood.

Excerpted from Howard Phillips Issues & Strategy Bulletin of February 28, 1998

HOLD THE PRESSES: REPUBLICAN "SNEAK ATTACK" FOR PUERTO RICAN STATEHOOD

As reported in The Washington Times (3/5/98, p. 1), "The House last night adopted the Puerto Rico statehood bill by a single vote in a raucous session after first killing an amendment that would have made English the official language of the United States...."

GOP LEADERS WOO LATINO VOTES, REJECTING ENGLISH LANGUAGE REQUIREMENTS

"[S]tatehood proponents celebrated their victory last night. ‘This is one small step to bring justice to America and to the Puerto Rican people,’ said Rep. Don Young, Alaska Republican and sponsor of the legislation that would allow Puerto Ricans to decide whether the commonwealth becomes a state."

WILL GINGRICH END D.C. "COLONIALISM" NEXT?

"Carlos A. Romero-Barcelo, the nonvoting delegate from Puerto Rico, hailed the victory as the right answer to a fundamental question: ‘Do we cherish our democracy enough to put an end to 100 years of colonialism?’"

GINGRICH AND CLINTON TEAM UP AGAIN

"The bill, backed by President Clinton and House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Georgia Republican, would require Puerto Ricans to vote by Dec. 31 on whether to join the United States."

THEY KEEP VOTING UNTIL THEY GET IT RIGHT

"Voters would have three choices: statehood, independence or commonwealth status. It mandates a vote every 10 years until statehood or independence gets a simple majority. If a majority of Puerto Ricans choose statehood, the president must submit to Congress a plan that lays out a transition from commonwealth to statehood....

"Asked whether the House Republican leadership erred in bringing the plebiscite bill to the floor, House Republican leader Dick Armey laughed heartily, then walked onto the floor...."

GOP HOUSE REJECTS COMMON LANGUAGE 238-182

"The most hotly debated issue was an amendment by Rep. Gerald B.H. Solomon, New York Republican, that would make English the nation's official language – and applying to Puerto Rico if it achieved statehood....

"Mr. Solomon's effort failed as members voted instead 238 to 182 for a bipartisan amendment that would simply ‘promote the teaching of English.’..."

THEY VOTE ON STATEHOOD, BUT NOT IMPEACHMENT

"Rep. John Linder, Georgia Republican and chairman of the National Republican Campaign Committee, said the leadership had no choice but to allow the bill to the floor. ‘Hey, it's come through the system. It's what you have to do. It's also been in the Republican platform since 1964.’

"Mr. Gingrich told the conference in Williamsburg last month that the House would vote on the plebiscite bill. He has said it provides an opportunity for the party to make inroads with Hispanics."

THE GHOSTS OF REAGAN, BUSH, AND FORD SPEAK FOR STATEHOOD

In the debate, GOP statehood proponents quoted President Ronald Reagan as having said "We've always been a land of varied cultural backgrounds and origins and we believe firmly that our strength is our diversity. There is much Puerto Rico can contribute to our nation which is why I personally favor Statehood. We hope you will join us."

THE ONLY PLATFORM PROMISE THEY'RE READY TO KEEP

George Bush was quoted as having said "In my first State of the Union Speech as President, I supported Statehood for Puerto Rico. I am certain that Puerto Rico will be welcomed as a State."

RALPH REED DELIVERS---FOR A FEE

There are many arguments against the wisdom of making Puerto Rico a state, including the fact that most Puerto Rican residents do not speak English, and the likelihood that the two U.S. Senators and six U.S. Representatives to be elected by Puerto Ricans would vote on the left wing of the political spectrum.

One of the factors in the victory for statehood proponents was the active participation of former Christian Coalition leader Ralph Reed. As reported by Don Lambro (Washington Times, 3/5/98, p. A15), "Political consultant Ralph Reed, a leading proponent of the Puerto Rico statehood bill, has been working as a strategic adviser to the bill's GOP backers in the Caribbean commonwealth.

"Mr. Reed, who resigned last year as executive director of the Christian Coalition to form a political consulting firm, met with top-level GOP leaders and businessmen in Puerto Rico last month to plot legislative strategy for the bill, close associates said yesterday.

"Mr. Reed, who has more than a dozen clients in House, Senate and governor races, argues that it would help the GOP to broaden its base among Hispanic voters at a time when the GOP's share of their vote has been shrinking....

"‘The Hispanic vote in American politics is increasingly the swing vote in American politics,’ Mr. Reed said in an address on Feb. 5 before the Puerto Rico Chamber of Commerce.

"Mr. Reed, who one day hopes to manage a presidential campaign, noted that Hispanics were ‘the swing vote in one-third of the Electoral College,’ in states that included California, New Mexico, Arizona, Texas, Florida, Georgia and North Carolina."

U.N. ANTI-COLONIALISM REQUIREMENT PROMPTED ACTION

Particularly troubling to many conservatives was the "sneak attack" fast action on the proposal, which had not been subjected to serious national scrutiny or debate. Many believe that the reason House Speaker Gingrich was pushing this measure was so that the United States would be in compliance with the United Nations resolution requiring that all so-called "colonies" be given their independence by the year 2000.

DeLAY, BURTON, McCULLOM, SMITH BACK STATEHOOD

Among the Republicans who voted (H.R. 856, Roll Call 37, 3/4/98) to put Puerto Rican statehood on a "fast track" were: Boehlert (N.Y.), Bonilla (Tex.), Burton (Ind.), Buyer (Ind.), Calvert (Calif.), Cannon (Utah), Cooksey (La.), Davis (Va.), DeLay (Tex.), Diaz-Balart (Fla.), Ehlers (Mich.), English (Pa.), Foley (Fla.), Forbes (N.Y.), Franks (N.J.), Frelinghuysen (N.J.), Gallegly (Calif.), Gekas (Penn.), Gilchrest (Md.), Gilman (N.Y.), Granger (Tex.), Kelly (N.Y.), Kim (Calif.), King (N.Y.), Kolbe (Ariz.), Lazio (N.Y.), Leach (Iowa), McCollum (Fla.), McKeon (Calif.), Mica (Fla.), Morella (Md.), Parker (Miss.), Peterson (Pa.), Pombo (Calif.), Quinn (N.Y.), Redmond (N.M.), Ros-Lehtinen (Fla.), Saxton (N.J.), Skeen (N.M.), Smith (N.J.), Tauzin (La.), Walsh (N.Y.), and Young (Alaska).

Excerpted from Howard Phillips Issues & Strategy Bulletin of February 15, 1998

NEWT GINGRICH, DICK GEPHARDT, AND RALPH REED PUSH STATEHOOD FOR PUERTO RICO

According to The Washington Times (2/16/98, p. A3), "House Speaker Newt Gingrich and House Minority Leader Richard A. Gephardt are co-sponsors of a Puerto Rican statehood bill that has divided both parties while outraging many conservatives."

DECISION IS SOONER THAN YOU THINK

"The bill calls for a first-ever federally authorized plebiscite in Puerto Rico before the end of this year, but some Republicans see the bill as a transparent and inept attempt to woo Hispanic voters."

PANDERING FOR VOTES AT A VERY HIGH PRICE

"‘It is absolutely pandering to the Hispanic vote, and we don't need to do that,’ said Rep. Gerald B. Solomon, New York Republican. ‘We need to be honest and forthright.’

"Under the measure, Puerto Ricans could vote to become a state, declare their independence or opt to retain the island's commonwealth status. If a majority favors change, the president has six months to submit a 10-year transition plan to Congress.

"If Congress approves, the plan goes to Puerto Ricans. Two years before the end of the transition, the president must present Congress with an implementation plan, which Congress and Puerto Rican voters must again approve.

"Manase Mansur, an aide to Rep. Don Young, the Alaska Republican who is the chief sponsor of the bill, said that ‘2010 would be the earliest Puerto Rico could have a new status.’ Sen. Larry E. Craig, Idaho Republican, is the chief sponsor of a companion measure in the Senate."

GOP POLLSTER FORESEES WINDFALL OF "LATINO" SUPPORT

"Republican supporters see the Puerto Rican statehood issue as a shovel with which to mine electoral gold among the growing ranks of Hispanic voters in the U.S. electorate.

"‘It is clear that the key to winning the Latino vote is to find issues that specifically appeal to them. Puerto Rico is just such an issue,’ said GOP pollster Frank Luntz, who does polling for the pro-statehood governor of Puerto Rico...."

TOM DeLAY BACKS GINGRICH

"House Majority Leader Dick Armey declined to lend his name to the bill, but House Minority Whip Tom DeLay of Texas is a co-sponsor....

"Rep. Luis V. Gutierrez, Illinois Democrat, opposes the bill because it ‘doesn't truly offer self-determination.’ The ‘outcome is predetermined [by] the authors of this bill, politicians who have made it clear that they are sympathetic to the statehood option...."

PUERTO RICANS CAN KEEP VOTING UNTIL THEY GET IT RIGHT

"Mr. Gutierrez argues that the bill warns voters if they choose commonwealth status over statehood, plebiscites will be held again until the outcome desired by the bill's authors is reached: statehood."

THE FEDERAL GRAVY TRAIN BECKONS

"For pro-statehood Puerto Ricans, however, there is a strong economic incentive.

"Carlo Romero-Barcelo, the Puerto Rican delegate to Congress, argued that, as a state, Puerto Rico ‘would be absolutely assured of enormous amounts of federal money the island needs in order to come to grips with its many problems.’..."

"ENGLISH FIRST" REQUIREMENT IS OPPOSED

"Mr. Romero-Barcelo has said that Puerto Rico ‘wants statehood, but that neither our language nor our culture is negotiable.’...

"Ralph Reed, the former executive director of the Christian Coalition, supports the Young bill.

"‘For the first time in 100 years, the people of Puerto Rico will have the opportunity to decide their political future in free and fair elections,’ he said in a speech to the Puerto Rican Chamber of Commerce. ‘Let Puerto Ricans freely express their status preference and if they choose, let's welcome them as the 51st state.’"

Excerpted from Howard Phillips Issues & Strategy Bulletin of August 31, 1997

The pandering pachyderms are at it again. Not satisfied with the fiascos they have caused by supporting Bill Clinton on the line-item veto, the $2 trillion budget, NAFTA, WTO, MFN for Red China, subsidies to Planned Parenthood and the homosexuals, extension of the Legal Services Corporation and the National Endowment for the Arts, expansion of the Federal role in education, creation of a new socialized medicine entitlement, yielding to the tax claims of the U.N. General Assembly, and so much more, now they propose to make Puerto Rico a state.

What a nitwit idea---not least of all, because of the language difficulties which would be involved.

E PLURIBUS UNUM? GINGRICH WANTS TO BUILD A TOWER OF BABEL

Sam Francis says this lunacy is not accidental. It springs from the brain of the "evil genius" Speaker Newt Gingrich.

According to Sam Francis (8/12/97), "Writing in The New Yorker of August 4, Joe Klein quotes the Speaker as expatiating on the Tower of Babel in the nation's schools. ‘Do you realize that there are two hundred languages spoken in the Chicago school system?’ Mr. Gingrich asked. ‘That's an asset, not a liability. Let's pair up the kids. You get Sally to speak Cambodian and Sally gets you to speak English. If they succeed we give each of them a thousand dollars. We'd have kids practicing language seven days a week.’

"It's hard to believe any grown man would utter this kind of foolishness. In the first place, the numberless languages now being chattered in American school systems are a liability by anyone's definition. Administratively, they make communication of simple classroom instructions almost impossible. Financially, teaching immigrant children to speak English costs millions of dollars that could be spent on more useful matters. Educationally, teaching English as a second language takes teachers away from dealing with the more serious learning problems of other students. Culturally, the explosion of multilingualism threatens one of the most fundamental instruments of a common nationality – the ability to talk to each other and to share the literary and linguistic heritage of a common civilization....

"It tells us that Mr. Gingrich has essentially signed up with the ‘diversity myth’ that Bill Clinton and his administration and its apologists in the media and cultural elites have been weaving. Behind Mr. Gingrich's delusion that polyglot school systems are an asset lies the more basic delusion that a common nationality is obsolete and that whatever serves to disintegrate nationality is progressive."