The Number Two
Miguel DÃaz-Canel. Photo from Peru21.pe
Ring, ring, ring …. international calls always take an eternity to open a passage through to a phone in Cuba. As if they had to push through a thick, dense atmosphere. Finally a voice answers on the other end of the line. It’s a friend whom I try to ask about what he thinks of the recently confirmed Council of State and the naming of Miguel Diaz-Canel as first vice-president. “What?†is the only answer I get at first. Then I explain that this Sunday, from Brazil, I was following the formation of the Cuban National Assembly and I would like to complete the report with some impressions from the Island. My friend yawns, confirms that he didn’t watch TV yesterday, and that no one has said anything to him. And I realize that I suffer from the evil of hyper-information, mixed with a certain distortion, produced by my distance from Cuba. I had forgotten the indifference shown by many of my compatriots when confronted with certain issues that are so predictable they no longer generate any expectations.
The designation of the number two man in the Cuban nomenklatura has probably been more commented on and discussed outside the Island than inside. In part because for several months the national media has already been suggesting — with constant allusions to this 52-year-old engineer — that he could become the successor to Fidel Castro. So few were surprised when the former Minister of Higher Education became, as of Sunday, yesterday, the “dauphin†of the Cuban regime. Their biological clock has the octogenarians governing the Greater Antilles at a crossroads: either establish the inheritance now or forever lose the chance seems to be dictating the hands of history. So the line of succession has been left to a much younger figure. They have based their choice on their confidence in the fidelity and manageability of Diaz-Canel, trapped between a commitment to his superiors and a conviction of how limited his real power is.
History shows us that the behavior of these dauphins while they are being observed by their bosses is one thing, and something else entirely when those bosses are no longer around. Only then will we discover who the real man is who yesterday became number two in Cuba. However, I have hopes that the fate of our country will not be decided by this Council of State, nor by this presidential chair. I have hopes that the era of the olive-green monarchs, their heirs and their entourage is ending.
Marzo 15th, 2013 at 16:43
Paja sappa:
No, just most of my internet life.
I’m very interested in Cuba, I try to help Cuban slaves escape from Castro’s plantation.
We might rescue two or three slaves this year.
Sometimes I read other Desde Cuba bloggers, wish I had more time.
Marzo 15th, 2013 at 12:16
@ help…..
do you spend your life in this stinking forum puto gusano?
Marzo 13th, 2013 at 17:27
HEY REGIME RATS if you know whats good for you, Don’t mess with GORKI AGUILA. If you do I promise you a NEW REVOLUTION that will PARK you on your ASS. MALICONAZO AHORA is the NEW REVOLUTION brewing and you can be the yeast. The people in Cuba are demanding respect for their CIVIL RIGHTS and access to INTERNET, some very basic demands. Time to change your evil ways. Viva LAS DAMAS DE BLANCO
Marzo 11th, 2013 at 17:36
Marabu:
How often can you repeat the same lie?
I always meet American tourists in Havana. Neither I nor any US citizen I know have ever had a problem going to Cuba.
If you repeat the same lie 1000 times will it become true?
The only embargo on the truth is yours.
Marzo 11th, 2013 at 16:56
@MARABU, the embargo is the excuse the Regime feeds the Cuban people. Notice all the REGIME BILLBOARDS in Cuba spewing propaganda against the YANKEES. Large signs telling the Cuban people to make SACRIFICES for the REVOLUTION, while Fidel sports around in a 60 foot luxury yacht. What happens in Cuba is shamefull and supported by a handfull of REGIME APOLOGIST who travel to the island to exploit the all u can eat buffets at the resorts. The Regime thugs have been bullying the the citizens of Cuba for 52 years and the reason people jump on rafts and throw themselves into the Atlantic Ocean to escape. If you want to see CUBA today just YOUTUBE any vacationers trip, off the resort, CUBA looks like a third world county with buildings in decay and potholes on every street corner. The REVOLUTION was and is a complete FAILURE, thanks to the CASTRO Brothers.
Marzo 10th, 2013 at 18:23
@Humberto Capiro
Another lie: “The embargo only affects the American companies and their subsidiaries”
The embargo affects every US-born US-citizen who is not allowed to travel to Cuba as a tourist. You can go to China, to Iran, to Saudi Arabia but not to Cuba (the only country in the world)
US citizens cannot see with their proper eyes what Cuba is about. Therefore the first victim of the embargo is the truth. The second victim of the embargo is the freedom to travel. And the third victim is the US-image in Latin America.
Much of the information abut Cuba is controlled by the dinozaurs of the Cold War: the anti-Castro fanatics from Miami (they are easy to spot because they repear the word “Castro” in every post).
Marzo 6th, 2013 at 02:09
JUST AS A LITTLE REMINDER NICK! FROM MY COMMENT #108 DEAR!!
nick!! ARE YOU GOING TO PROVIDE US WITH A LINK ON THE EFFECTS OF THE “EMBARGO†OR NOT! YOU KNOW, LIKE MY SAMPLE BELOW! LOOKING FORWARD TO YOUR EXCELLENT POST! JE JE JE!
Lift the Cuba Embargo ? WHAT EMBARGO! By Humberto (Bert) Corzo*
In this article I analyze the arguments of lifting the Cuba embargo, which are more rhetorical than real, answering each one of the specific considerations of those that support the end of it.
EFFECT OF THE EMBARGO
The United States Government has always exempted from the embargo medicine and humanitarian supplies to the Cuban people, as long as such aid is distributed by independent non-governmental organizations (NGO) such as the Catholic Church and international organizations such as Pastors for Peace.
Since 1992, the U.S. has approved 36 of 38 license requests for commercial sales of medicines and medical equipment to Cuba. During the period from 1993 to 1996, the U.S. has licensed over $150 million in humanitarian assistance, more than the total worldwide foreign aid received by Cuba in those years. This total does not include the millions of dollars in medicine and food sent to Cuba in the form of “care packages” from relatives living in the U.S. [1]
In the year 2000 the Department of Commerce approved the export to Cuba of approximately $550 million in medicines, medical equipment, cash remittances, gift parcels and food (cash remittances and gift parcels account for about 75% of the total amount). The United States government’s embargo has had little effect on the Cuban economy, since it only represents 5 % of Cuba’s commerce with the rest of the world. The embargo only affects the American companies and their subsidiaries. The rest of the countries, 180 since the last count in 2007, are free to conduct business with Cuba and are doing so, as confirmed by imports surpassing $13.78 billions during 2007 [2]. In reality there is not such embargo since in the year 2000 the United States Congress lifted the prohibition of the sale of agricultural products and medicines to Cuba, thereby allowing Castro’s regime to buy everything it needs by paying in cash.
CLICK LINK FOR ENTIRE ACADEMIC PAPER WITH FOOTNOTES & EVERYTHING!
http://www.cubanet.org/CNews/y.....9_O_3.html
Marzo 6th, 2013 at 02:05
nick on #116!! WHAT?? MORE BAD OLD U.S.A.??? MORE BAD OLD “EMBARGO”?? BRAVOOO!!! YOU HAVE NOT LOST YOUR TOUCH!
U.S.-CUBA TRADE AND ECONOMIC COUNCIL, INC.
ECONOMIC EYE ON CUBA- February 2012 - Report For Calendar Year 2011
2011-2001 U.S. EXPORT STATISTICS FOR CUBA
The following is the data for exports from the United States to the Republic of Cuba relating to the Trade Sanctions Reform and Export Enhancement Act (TSRA) of 2000, which re-authorized the direct commercial (on a cash basis) export of food products (including branded food products) and agricultural products (commodities) from the United States to the Republic of Cuba, irrespective of purpose. The TSRA does not include healthcare products, which remain authorized by the Cuban Democracy Act (CDA) of 1992.
The data represents the U.S. Dollar value of product exported from the United States to the Republic of Cuba under the auspice of TSRA. The data does not include transportation charges, bank charges, or other costs associated with exports from the United States to the Republic of Cuba. The government of the Republic of Cuba reports data that, according to the government of the Republic of Cuba, includes transportation charges, bank charges, and other costs. However, the government of the Republic of Cuba has not provided verifiable data. The use of trade data reported by the government of the Republic of Cuba is suspect. The government of the Republic of Cuba has been asked to provide verifiable data, but has not.
CLICK LINK FOR ENTIRE REPORT!
http://www.cubatrade.org/CubaExportStats.pdf
Marzo 6th, 2013 at 02:02
nick on #110!! DEAR, IM NOT HERE TO CONVINCE YOU!! YOU HAVE NOT FIGURE THAT OUT YET?? IM HERE AS A COUNTERPOINT TO YOUR PROPAGANDA! WITH LINKS AND THE JE JE JE’S!! JE JE JE! AND THE PART ABOUT THE DUCKS?? IS A SAYING IN ENGLISH! LOOK IT UP!ENTIENDES?? QUACK QUACK! OR SHOULD I SAY, POLLY WANTS A COPY AND PASTE, POLLY WANTS A COPY AND PASTE! JE JE JE!
Marzo 6th, 2013 at 01:51
==The man comes around…== said on #111: “nick … so that you know with Humberto… he is a type of media parrot, on a loop… the same lame things he regurgitated to me over the past 12months …regardless of how consistent an arguments I put forward… I requested he doesn’t paste full articles.. he cannot be bothered he swamps and floods this blog with they ‘view’… Je Je Je is his way of venting his frustration when he cannot come up with an argument and you touch a spot… I suspect he likes dressing up in army boots and gear for fun this is why he uses the word ‘fascists’ so often…”
==The man comes around…== !! I LOOOOOOVE YOUR ATTACKS ON MY PERSON! THEYRE KINKY AND NAUGHTY (feathers and boots)!! DO YOU LOVE IT WHEN I HIT YOUR G-SPOT DEAR?? I CAN DO IT WITH A WHIP IF YOU LIKE!! JE JE JE!
Marzo 5th, 2013 at 20:47
Nick,
One day you should tell us about your “fairly modest” lifestyle you lived in Cuba, and I’ll tell you whether you lived in the top 1% or top 5% of the Cuban pyramid.
Why don’t socialists ever move to Cuba and try to live like an ordinary Cuban?
Marzo 5th, 2013 at 20:34
Hi Nick,
So now we’re in 2013 and shouldn’t talk about the 50s and 80s. Because the UN that supports Castro voted massively in favor of Pol Pot too.
The USA is always changing. We are constantly electing new governments.
But you can’t stop talking about the past 200 years when you try to prove the USA is evil.
You really believe that “representatives of more than 95% of humanity” vote in the UN?
You believe that the Saudi family represents their people? Including their women?
That the Chinese government represents their people?
The UN may be the only international forum you have, it’s not mine.
There are over a billion Chinese, Vietnamese and Cambodians that hate the communists and couldn’t care less what happens to Castro, or would cheer if he was hanged.
Add to that a few hundred million Russians and Eastern Europeans.
None of them were asked to vote at the UN.
Marzo 5th, 2013 at 10:52
Help,
This is not the 40s or 50s or 80s.
This is 2013.
The USA makes up 4.46% of the worlds population.
Israel: 0.11%
Republic of Palau: 0.00079%
Therefore the representatives of more than 95% of humanity voted against your blockade in the only international forum we have.
Even within the USA the majority are against it according to opinion polls.
Exactly what sort of democracy do you believe in?
The type where a 5% minority rules over the other 95%.
After all the years of Spanish imperialism, U S imperialism, Russian imperialism,
after all these struggles for reforms,
after all these bloggers and after all this time thats still dragging on…
….I most sincerely hope that Cuba doesnt ever end up with what you
seem to think is democracy.
Mr Help (The 5% Man): Face the facts …
This anachronistic blockade, that never achieves anything other than to attract the world’s contempt, only exists due to the importance of Florida electoral college votes.
Nothing more, nothing less than that.
Marzo 5th, 2013 at 10:35
There you go…. you resurrect PolPot and all is clear about Cuba… no word though on what the US did in Vietnam and Cambodia… probably it was a Rambo movie I am talking about according to Help!
Marzo 5th, 2013 at 09:44
Nick,
I have to go for the day.
I notice again you talk about labels and words and avoid answering simple questions.
I asked you:
You justify being against the embargo because the UN votes against it.
In the 1950s, the UN voted against embargoes against South Africa.
Around 1980, the UN voted massively in favor of Pol Pot.
According to your rationalizations, trade sanctions against South Africa were criminal in the 1950s.
And Pol Pot was a legitimate ruler of the Cambodia. Because the UN said so.
Like Castro, Pol Pot had a “different type of democracy”
Marzo 5th, 2013 at 09:32
Hello again Mr Help,
As I keep saying I do not need educating as to what the word fascist means.
Stalin, Pol Pot, GW Bush, Blair (to name but four)were murderous leaders of varying types/shades.
I dislike all of the above to varying degrees but none of them were/are fascists.
The USA had, during the 20th century,a policy of supporting, sponsoring arming fascist leaders in Latin America: Chile, Nicaragua, El Salvador etc etc
Thankfully USA no longer pursues this.
Maybe because there are no more fascists left to prop up.
The USA has supported all types of regimes so long as those regimes are pro USA.
American governments do not like countries which stand up to American governments.
Embargo vote, UN, Oct 2012:
3 countries vote for it (USA, Israel, Republic of Palau)
2 abstensions (Marshall Islands, Micronesia)
188 countries vote to condemn it (the vast majority of the representatives of the human race)
Mr Help you say:
‘The UN is collection of states, many run by dictators and gangsters, with a few democracies thrown in.’
Out of the 188 countries that voted to condemn this ridiculous embargo which do you suggest are the few democracies thrown in??????
I think you like to make out you believe in democracy but you don’t really do you??
Re Apartheid South Africa: I think I made my views clear in previous posts.
But to save you looking back here is a copy of my #81:
“I always try not to ever justify war. It always includes its atrocities.
I guess I would condone the war against fascism in the 30s/40s.
And maybe also the war against the expansionism of apartheid South Africa in the 70s/80s.”
On Fascism and Apartheid South Africa I don’t think I can be any clearer.
Marzo 5th, 2013 at 08:23
In addition to “fascism”, left-wing fascists also use “right-wing” as an insult.
Castro was an extreme nationalist. Cubans were forced to march in the street shouting Death to America.
Unions were outlawed. Workers who went on strike were jailed.
There is no vote.
All economic choice was removed from the life of the average Cuban. They had to shop at Castro owned stores buying Castro owned products.
Like one of those old US mining towns where all the miners had to buy everything from the company.
Except those miners could leave. Or they could fight and get unions. They could also vote in elections for politicians who would support them.
All of that is illegal in Cuba.
Castro may do everything a right-wing fascist does, but if he says he’s a “leftist” and “anti-fascist” then he must be a good guy for all the armchair socialists of the world.
Marzo 5th, 2013 at 08:01
Nick,
Why are US trade sanctions against Cuba criminal?
Do you think South African trade sanctions were also criminal?
I supported trade sanctions against South Africa, even when the UN voted against them in the 1950s.
According to you, trade sanctions against South Africa are criminal unless the UN supports them?
The UN is collection of states, many run by dictators and gangsters, with a few democracies thrown in. The USA is an independent country that can make its own laws.
I also supported the Vietnamese war against Pol Pot and his overthrow.
The UN voted overwhelmingly for Pol Pot. Do you think Pol Pot was the elected representative of the Cambodian people and his overthrow was criminal?
I oppose fascism, so am opposed to Che and Castro and the US government whenever it supports fascism, whether it be Saudi Arabia or China.
US governments have done many criminal things, I can name hundreds. One of the most criminal was when Jimmy Carter, together with the UN, voted for Pol Pot.
In that case, the Soviet bloc were in the right.
Cuba is so unimportant economically and politically to the US that the embargo isn’t on the map of most politicians. Even if its completely ineffectual or counter-productive.
It’s just too low a priority.
The US does do criminal things to Cuba. The worst is sending Cuban refugees back to Castro.
The only criminal thing about the embargo is that other states won’t support it.
Marzo 5th, 2013 at 07:41
The Man Comes Around,
Yes I am coming to the same conclusion as you regarding Humberto the link man.
What I cannot understand about these people is that they say the embargo has no ill effects on cuba but they will not join Yoani Sanchez in calling for its end.
I have never met anyone in Cuba in favour of it.
Fidel blames it for everything
Therefore there is a long running joke in Cuba used whenever something goes wrong or someone is blamed for anything:
“no es mi culpa, es la culpa del bloqueo”
-its not my fault its the blockade’s fault.
The Man Comes Around: I congratulate you on over 12 months of reading some of the insane comments that are posted here.
There is an excellent balanced article by Esteban Morales in Havana Times re Obama’s conundrum over the Alan Gross/Cuban 5 situation.
I wont paste a link.
Humberto, Help and everyone,
Oxford English Dictionary definition of fascism:
noun
[mass noun]
an authoritarian and nationalistic right-wing system of government and social organization.
•
(in general use) extreme right-wing, authoritarian, or intolerant views or practices.
You may well accuse Fidel being authoritarian, nationalistic or intolerant.
Fair enough if you like. Many would agree.
But right-wing?????
Gimme a break.
I refer you back to my #110.
I know what a fascist is.
Marzo 5th, 2013 at 07:11
Nick,
Here’s standard definitions of fascism, from Webster’s:
a political philosophy, movement, or regime (as that of the Fascisti) that exalts nation and often race above the individual and that stands for a centralized autocratic government headed by a dictatorial leader, severe economic and social regimentation, and forcible suppression of opposition
Che and Fidel were the most extreme fascists to take power in modern Latin American history.
It wasn’t a racist fascism, and it wasn’t nearly as murderous or monstrous a fascism as Hitlerism, Maoism or Stalinism, but it was an extreme form of fascism.
Using fascist as a general insult is a technique made popular by left-wing fascists.
Cuban fascism was at its most extreme in the 60s and 70s but has loosened up considerably since then.
Marzo 5th, 2013 at 06:46
nick … so that you know with Humberto… he is a type of media parrot, on a loop… the same lame things he regurgitated to me over the past 12months …regardless of how consistent an arguments I put forward… I requested he doesn’t paste full articles.. he cannot be bothered he swamps and floods this blog with they ‘view’… Je Je Je is his way of venting his frustration when he cannot come up with an argument and you touch a spot… I suspect he likes dressing up in army boots and gear for fun this is why he uses the word ‘fascists’ so often…
This is how far I got with them all:the Cuban Act is law, and he and them are not going to repudiate it for a very simple reason… through the Cuban Act the US and them can and would request restitution in full of their former assets in Cuba…. and these guys here this is what they are after.. all in the name of ‘democracy’ and ‘free elections’ of course! This I have proven time and again but not much else… All you get out of Humberto is that the embargo has no effect and that Castro uses it against his people… Well yeah but I don’t see them repudiating an act of war practically against a nation that didn’t play ball the American way…
Marzo 5th, 2013 at 05:58
Humberto,
re your #108: Je Je Je?
So you wanna tell me what a fascist is?
Members of my family fought against fascism during World War 2.
That great and noble American president FDR sent U S forces to fight alongside us.
1000s of people died in my country due to fascist bombing campaigns.
I know what a fascist is.
You guys have introduced Hitler, Stalin, Mao into the debate even Pol Pot.
So I think its only fair to include little George W.
Also it is absurd and irrelevant to have a debate on Cuba without including the crazy, undemocratic and illegal U S policies towards the island.
Also whilst U S forces were in Afganistan (understandable given 9-11) and Iraq (a bloodthirsty piece of oportunistic imperialism, illegal under democratic international law), G W Bush was making threats towards Cuba.
I was in Cuba at that time. Do you think Cubans feel good when they are threatened by the most powerful military state on earth??
During this time even the anti-castro cubans said that George W was far worse than Fidel.
Some the reasons why Castros 1 and 2 have lasted so long:
1.The ridiculous, illegal, undemocratic and imperialistic policies of the USA.
2.Some of the crazy threats of U S presidents who I would call comedy presidents if it was not for the blood on their hands.
3.The fanatisism and ranting of the opposition to Castro from Miami.
Some of that fanatisism and ranting is being expressed in posts here.
Come back Griffin.
Your sense of reason from the anti castro side is being missed since #50.
And Humberto what is this about ducks?
If you want to introduce poultry into the debate then I tell you this:
Why don’t you, Mr Help and George W get some cash together, hire a light aircraft and fly over a turkey farm.
You could drop leaflets informing the turkeys what a fun day thanksgiving is going to be.
Je Je Je??
Ja Ja Ja!!!
Marzo 4th, 2013 at 23:12
Yoani Sánchez a Cuban Hurricane in Brazil
Great five articles, in Spanish (you can use Google to make the translation), of Yoani Sanchez in Brazil with many photos by Jorge H. Fonseca.
Link: http://www.cubalibredigital.co.....;Itemid=21
Marzo 4th, 2013 at 21:06
nick!! ARE YOU GOING TO PROVIDE US WITH A LINK ON THE EFFECTS OF THE “EMBARGO” OR NOT! AND PLEASE, DONT INSULT OUR INTELLIGENCE BY SWITCHING THE TOPIC TO GEORGE W. BUSH NOR QUESTION OUR ABILITY TO USED THE DICTIONARY AND SEE WHO FITS THE DESCRIPTION OF “FASCISM”! WE HAD 12 YEARS OF THE BUSH FAMILY AND THE ARE OUT! THE CASTRO BROTHERS/FAMILY WILL BE AROUND A POSSIBLE 60 YEARS!
FASCISM: a governmental system led by a dictator having complete power, forcibly suppressing opposition and criticism, regimenting all industry, commerce, etc., and emphasizing an aggressive nationalism and often racism.
DICTATORSHIP: 1. a country, government, or the form of government in which absolute power is exercised by a dictator. 2. absolute, imperious, or overbearing power or control. 3. the office or position held by a dictator.
“If it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck, looks like a duck, it must be a duckâ€
If it walks like a FASCIST, quacks like a FASCSITS, looks like a FASCIST, it must be a FASCIST! AND IF IT COMES FROM CUBA AND NAMED CASTRO, IS A CASTROFASCIST!! JE JE JE!
Marzo 4th, 2013 at 20:28
Humberto,
Thanks for all the links.
You express the point of view that the U S embargo has no ill effects on Cuba.
If thats the case then scrap it as Yoani Sanchez suggests.
Re your #101: Exactly where in my #97 did I defend 54 years of Castros?
and do you not think I am entitled to express opinions?
Re your #100: By far the worst example of a leader of a country in the Americas this century in terms of blood on his hands is George W Bush.
He and his henchmen take this accolade quite comfortably.
To suggest that he got to the white house via due democratic process would be simply absurd.
He got there due to nepotism.
There is much mis-use of the word fascist creeping in to these posts.
Hitler was a fascist as was Musolini, Franco etc.
Stalin was a total monster. But he was not a fascist.
When you use the word Fascist are you simply using it as a term of general abuse or general dislike?
If you look in the english dictionary is the definition of the word ‘fascist’ simply someone you don’t like?
I don’t like G W Bush but I’m not going to call him a fascist.
A war criminal perhaps, but not a fascist.
Re your #106: Mariela Castro has achieved much regarding Cuba’s change from their previous ridiculous homophobic policies and combatting the general level of homophobia within Cuban society.
Because of this she has attracted much criticism from all sides within Cuba.
Credit to her for taking this stance.
I dont think this or her surname make her the next number 1.
If Snr Diaz-Canel takes over and does a good job of introducing more reforms are you all going to come back on here and admit your errors of judgement??
Somehow I doubt it.
Marzo 4th, 2013 at 16:57
EXCELLENT ANALYSIS IN THIS ARTICLE! IN MY VIEW IT WILL BE MARIELA CASTRO WHO WILL TAKE OVER THE THRONE IF THE CASTRO OLIGARCHY CAN LAST MUCH LONGER AFTER RAUL CASTRO “LEAVES” OFFICE!
THE ATLANTIC MAGAZINE: Why Cuba Will Still be Anti-American After Castro - In totalitarian regimes, the road to bureaucratic success is not through hard work but through loyalty.
Dressed in an impeccable, custom-tailored suit and a Versace tie, instead of his usual military fatigues, General Raul Castro addressed the Cuban Parliament on February 24. He did not discuss political or economic reforms. Instead, he announced he would be stepping down from power at the end of the five-year term for which he had just been elected. If the Pope retires, “I can also retire,” he explained. Yet the Cubans would have to wait for the “younger” brother to reach 87 years of age to see the end of the Castro dynasty.
But not so fast. There are other Castros in the wings. In particular, Raul’s son, Alejandro Castro Espin, a colonel in Cuba’s intelligence apparatus, could be groomed in the future by becoming a general and a member of the Communist Party Politburo, Cuba’s ruling body. In the meantime, Raul appointed a younger Communist, Miguel Diaz Canel, as first vice president among five other vice presidents. A hardline party apparatchik, Diaz Canel, a 52-year-old engineer and former Minister of Education, grew up under Fidel’s and Raul’s shadow as an obedient and disciplined Marxist. A protégé of Ramon Machado Ventura, an old communist and (till Sunday) first vice president, Diaz Canel mirrors the ideological rigidity of his mentor.
A second appointment followed. This one for President of the National Assembly (Cuba’s Parliament). Raul picked another old and loyal Communist, Esteban Lazo. Lazo has been the only prominent Cuban black to occupy any high-ranking position in the predominantly white-controlled Cuban government. A bland, obedient bureaucrat, Lazo will follow the Parliaments’ tradition of rubber-stamping the laws issued by the leadership.
The two appointments seemed more symbolic than significant. Raul Castro wanted to send a double message: that the octogenarian Cuban leadership was now giving way to a new, younger generation of leaders. Also, aware of the unhappiness among Cuba’s black population, impoverished and neglected by the regime, Castro wanted to elevate a loyal supporter to the ceremonial position in the Parliament. It is doubtful that the majority of Cubans (more than 60 percent of whom are black and mulatto) will be appeased by these appointments or renew their belief in the Cuban revolutionary leadership. Similarly, the appointment of a young hardline bureaucrat is unlikely to gain much favor with Cuba’s youth, hoping for deeper political and economic changes.
CLICK LINK FOR ENTIRE ARTICLE!
http://www.theatlantic.com/int.....ro/273680/
Marzo 4th, 2013 at 16:30
Marabu said: “I am fed up with US travel restrictions to Cuba”
AND THE CUBAN PEOPLE Marabu HAVE BEEN FED UP FOR THE PAST 54 YEARS OF NOT BEING ALLOWED TO TRAVEL PERIOD! THERE IS A BIG DIFFERENCE BETWEEN YOUR WHINING AND THEIR COMPLAINT DEAR! ON A SECOND NOTE, WHEN SHOULD I EXPECT THAT ELUSIVE ARTICLE/ACADEMIC PAPER WITH STATISTICS AND LINK ON HOW THE BAD OLD “EMBARGO” IS AFFECTING THE EVERYDAY CUBAN CITIZEN?? SOON I HOPE!
HAVANA TIMES : The (Non) Right of Cubans to Travel -Haroldo Dilla Alfonso-February 1, 2010-
Above all, travel for Cubans is not a right, but a legal privilege. It is a condition that can be granted or rescinded. It is a revocable concession by an unappealable power and is without a defined judicial framework.
In all cases, the departures of these people imply considerable fees that can end up in well excess of US $500, an immense sum for a population with exceedingly depressed wages that average $20 a month. In short, to leave, each person must be able to pay for a letter of invitation, a passport and an exit permit.
On top of this, once in the destination country, the traveler must make payments to the Cuban embassy in that country a sum that varies each month they remain in that country, which is a highly uncustomary practice. This sum fluctuates between $40 and $150 a month.
Other categories of technicians exist —for doctors, for example— who cannot leave through this channel. Likewise, there is a category for people considered “politically adverse,†for which the obstacles to exit are numerous.
What is particularly negative is that people who want to travel temporarily cannot take their children (those below legal age). This is only possible when the person decides to emigrate “definitively.â€
CLICK LINK FOR ENTIRE ARTICLE!
http://www.havanatimes.org/?p=18972
Marzo 4th, 2013 at 15:04
@Humberto Capiro
“Marabu!! TO YOUR COMMENTS #93, MY RESPONSES BELOW! AND COULD YOU PROVIDE AN ACADEMIC PAPER OR OTHER RELIABLE DOCUMENT THAT GIVES STATISTICS ON HOW THE “EMBARGO†AFFECTS THE EVERYDAY CUBAN CITIZEN?”
Why? I cannot care less about Cuban, Mexican or Columbian citizens.
I am fed up with US travel restrictions to Cuba.
A Cuban who one year ago came to US claiming “opression” now books a flight and travels freely to Cuba (the country of his supposed “opressors”) either for business or for pleasure. A US-citizen - who in most cases feeds the Cuban immigrant - is being denied this right.
This is bad law and I want to have it changed.
Marzo 4th, 2013 at 14:43
nick, Marabu! AND HERE IS ANOTHER ON FROM MY ARCHIVES! THE EVERYDAY CUBAN CITIZENS SPEAKS! NOW, WHO SHOULD WE BELIEVE, YOU OR THEM???
YOUTUBE: DOCUMENTARY: “Cuba and the Elephants” - Full version w / English Sub-titles: A Look at Cuba, in reality beyond its tourist attractions. A documentary that takes us to reflect on the achievements of the socialist system and how truly the common Cuban people live. A production of the Political Institute of Peru for Liberty. o cubano. Una producción del Instituto PolÃtico para la Libertad Perú (iplperu.org).
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....ce=message
Marzo 4th, 2013 at 14:41
nick, Marabu! HERE IS ANOTHER DOCUMENTARY WHERE THE YOUNG PEOPLE IN CUBAN TALK ON HOW THEY FEEL ABOUT THEIR “GOVERNMENT”! FEEL FREE TO POST YOUR REVIEWS!
YOUTUBE ENTIRE DOCUMENTARY: “Grandchildren of the Cuban Revolution” - The Grandchildren of the Revolution gives the youth a voice to share their feelings of hope and despair. Some speak with humor, many do it in defiance. The film tries to capture the vibe of Cubas youth today. Featuring artists like: Los Aldeanos, Porno para Ricardo, Silvito El Libre and bloggers Claudia Cadelo, Yoani Sanchez and Laritza Diversent, the film was directed by Carlos Montaner with the help of young camera men and women who visited the island throughout a span of several months. SPANISH WITH ENGLISH SUB-TITLES
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-KVqUrOBiQQ
Marzo 4th, 2013 at 14:38
nick on #97!! I THINK WE SHOULD HEAR FROM THE EVERYDAY CUBAN CITIZEN ON HOW THEY FEEL ABOUT THEIR “GOVERNMENT” RATHER THAN SOMEONE LIKE YOU WHO IS NEITHER CUBAN NOR PROVIDING EMPIRICAL DATA WITH A LINK! DONT YOU FEEL SILLY DEFENDING THE CASTROFASCIST OLIGARCHY HOLD ON POWER FOR OVER 54 YEARS??
YOUTUBE : CUBAN Documentary - “Wishes on a Falling Star”- While the Castro brothers face their certain end, an uncertain future hangs over the island. Some people are afraid, many cannot wait, but all shudder and hope that the changes will be positive.
This documentary leads the audience through the discovery of this hope, through a tourist’s camera which looks to be turned off and oblivious to the conversation at hand, yet is focused on candidly capturing each person’s wishes. There is the old guerrillero who took part in the revolution, the lady who met Che Guevara and lives thanks to the government social card, and also the young boys and girls — those who wish to make a career within the rules, as well as those who only try to escape abroad. Clandestine underground shops, businessmen experienced in all things illegal, dodgy pimps, mothers who force their daughters into selling their bodies — the hidden face of the State which welcomes tourists into its luxury resorts is openly displayed beyond censorship’s control. One special guide is Yoani Sanchez, the independent blogger, a leader of the new, peaceful revolution — the revolution of ideas. The internet is its main instrument, while the government attempts to limit computer use with any means possible in a pushing and pulling of ideals. In the interview, recorded in a secret location, the young writer speaks about her country’s ruin, and where Raul’s reforms have no effect on everyday life. Castro’s supporters and dissidents, young and old — none deceive themselves that the star of the revolution will shine on for much longer. And this is what this project focuses on: the wishes on a falling star.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v.....feature=iv
Marzo 4th, 2013 at 14:33
Marabu on #98!! I AGREE THAT FIDEL CASTRO WAS NOT CLOSE TO THE ATROCITIES OF STALIN, BUT AS IT RELATES TO SIMILAR DICTATORSHIPS IN LATIN AMERICA HE RANKS AS THE LONGEST IN POWER AND ONE OF THE WORST MURDERERS! AND YES, I WOULD INCLUDE THE DEATHS OF ALL BALSEROS!
VICTIMS OF THE CUBAN REVOLUTION- Cases up to January 25, 2012
This work documents loss of life and disappearances of a political or military nature attributed to the Cuban Revolution. Each documented case is available for review at The Cuba Archive and substantiated by bibliographic/historic data and reports from direct sources. Due to the ongoing nature of the work and the difficulty of obtaining and verifying data from Cuba, the following totals change as research progresses and are considered far from exhaustive. Cuba Archive is currently examining additional cases -most are expected to be added to this table.
Non-Combat Victims of the Castro Regime: Work-in-progress-Documented Cases
Total = 10,500
“Balseros” (estimate to 2003) = 77,833 victims drowned at sea
http://cubaarchive.org/home/im.....update.pdf
Marzo 4th, 2013 at 14:27
Marabu!! TO YOUR COMMENTS #93, MY RESPONSES BELOW! AND COULD YOU PROVIDE AN ACADEMIC PAPER OR OTHER RELIABLE DOCUMENT THAT GIVES STATISTICS ON HOW THE “EMBARGO” AFFECTS THE EVERYDAY CUBAN CITIZEN?? LIKE THE ONE I POSTED BELOW! CAN YOU DO THAT DEAR??
“The embargo affects those Americans who are not able to pay US medical bills and are not allowed to travel to get a less expensive treatment in Cuba.”
“The embargo, in the first place affects millions of Americans, who are not permitted to travel to see with their own eyes what Cuba is about. Instead, many of them read the propaganda of Miami fanantics and think it is true.”
#1. AMERICANS TRAVEL TO CUBA ALL THE TIME VIA THIRD COUNTRIES. CUBA DOES NOT STAMP YOUR PASSPORT SO THERE IS NO TRACE.
“The embargo affects Swiss (and other countries) banks, who, in the USA, pay millions of $ penalties just for trading with Cuba.”
#2. THERE ARE MANY BANKS TO HAVE OFFICES IN CUBA.
Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria Spain
Banco Nacional de Comercio Exterior Mexico
Banco Sabadell Spain
BNP Paribas France
Caja de Ahorros y Monte de Piedad de Madrid Spain
EBN Probanca Spain
Fransabank Lebanon
Havana International Bank United Kingdom
ING Bank Netherlands
National Bank of Canada Canada
Republic Bank Trinidad and Tobago
Société Générale
“The embargo affects cuban artisans, painters, fashion designers, restaurant and bed&breakfast owners who are not allowed to advertise on Google or Ebay nor accept payments via PayPal.”
#3. THERE ARE PLENTY OF ONLINE LOCATION FOR ADVERTISING AND OTHER SOURCES OF PAYMENTS BESIDES PAYPAL DEAR!
SOME WEB SITES
rentaencuba . com
cubaccomodation . com
privatehousescuba . com
SHOULD I GO ON DEAR???
Lift the Cuba Embargo ? WHAT EMBARGO! By Humberto (Bert) Corzo*
In this article I analyze the arguments of lifting the Cuba embargo, which are more rhetorical than real, answering each one of the specific considerations of those that support the end of it.
EFFECT OF THE EMBARGO
The United States Government has always exempted from the embargo medicine and humanitarian supplies to the Cuban people, as long as such aid is distributed by independent non-governmental organizations (NGO) such as the Catholic Church and international organizations such as Pastors for Peace.
Since 1992, the U.S. has approved 36 of 38 license requests for commercial sales of medicines and medical equipment to Cuba. During the period from 1993 to 1996, the U.S. has licensed over $150 million in humanitarian assistance, more than the total worldwide foreign aid received by Cuba in those years. This total does not include the millions of dollars in medicine and food sent to Cuba in the form of “care packages” from relatives living in the U.S. [1]
In the year 2000 the Department of Commerce approved the export to Cuba of approximately $550 million in medicines, medical equipment, cash remittances, gift parcels and food (cash remittances and gift parcels account for about 75% of the total amount). The United States government’s embargo has had little effect on the Cuban economy, since it only represents 5 % of Cuba’s commerce with the rest of the world. The embargo only affects the American companies and their subsidiaries. The rest of the countries, 180 since the last count in 2007, are free to conduct business with Cuba and are doing so, as confirmed by imports surpassing $13.78 billions during 2007 [2]. In reality there is not such embargo since in the year 2000 the United States Congress lifted the prohibition of the sale of agricultural products and medicines to Cuba, thereby allowing Castro’s regime to buy everything it needs by paying in cash.
CLICK LINK FOR ENTIRE ACADEMIC PAPER WITH FOOTNOTES & EVERYTHING!
http://www.cubanet.org/CNews/y.....9_O_3.html
Marzo 4th, 2013 at 14:23
@Nick
You are probably wasting your time.
Those who compare Castro to Stalin are either victims or makers of the Miami propaganda. I feel ashamed for the disgrace the Miami pack brings to the USA.
The good news is that these dinosaurs of the Cold War are old. The younger Cubans, who come from Mexico every day, abuse immigration laws, but have only business im mind. They stay away from the primitive propaganda tirades.
Marzo 4th, 2013 at 14:13
Help,
At the moment I live in a capitalist country.
I have lived in various places including countries with socialist governments.
I regard myself as very fortunate to have travelled.
Many people on this planet do not have that opportunity.
I have lived in Cuba. It is very possible I will live there again at some point.
Whilst there, I lived a fairly modest lifestyle.
I had no special protection or treatment or anything of that sort.
I have dear Cuban friends and family who are anti Fidel/Raul.
Some who are pro Fidel/Raul.
Some who are in the middle.
And some who don’t give a damn about politics.
I have had many long conversations/arguments where I have found myself on one side, on the other side or have been in the middle.
These are facts as I have experienced them and these dear people that I mention are an important part of my life.
Your tirades and apparant inability to listen to or engage in reasoned debate remind me of a superb performance given by Lee J Cobb in the film ‘Twelve Angry Men’.
This is truly a classic from a bygone Hollywood era.
I would like to thank you whole heartedly for reminding me of this great film.
I must remember to watch it again soon.
Marzo 4th, 2013 at 12:41
Nick,
You say you don’t want capitalism, yet you choose to live in a capitalist country.
You admire Castro but refuse to live there, even given the special treatment you’d receive.
Your actions speak louder than your words.
I’m running late, but please post more propaganda and I’ll respond to it tomorrow.
In the meantime, I wish you, Hitler, Stalin, Mao, Pol Pot, Castro and the rest of the world’s good socialists a good day.
Marzo 4th, 2013 at 12:33
Maribu,
My lunch is almost over.
But everything you wrote is a lie.
Not saying you are a liar, just a gullible person who believe everything Castro and his con artists tell you.
Every US citizen can travel to Cuba for a few hundred dollars. I’ve never had problems and neither has anyone else. If you want a cheap flight, go by way of Mexico.
And I’ve met gullible US citizens receiving medical treatment in Cuba.
The embargo does not affect shipping lines, nor banks trading with Cuba. Read the details and the facts, not the propaganda.
The banks were fined for laundering Cuban money through their US subsidiaries. You don’t think Cuba or the rest of the world have their own banks? You think Swiss banks only have US branches?
It doesn’t affect shipping because I know Cuban and foreign businessmen in Cuba and they told me the embargo has absolutely no affect on their business.
Artisans, are you kidding? Let’s get them an internet connection first. And Cuban businesses do advertise on the internet. Just Google them.
Can’t accept money through paypal? Are you kidding? There are many perfectly legal services I can use in the US to send money to Cuba. Again, just Google them.
And I’ve used them, but only in emergencies.
Usually I just send cash through a friend so Castro won’t get his cut.
All the financial and other restrictions I’ve faced in Cuba were the result of Castro’s laws and nothing else.
By the way, there are no restrictions on travel by US citizens. Read the details closely. And our government doesn’t care how much money you spend there, even though on paper they are supposed to.
So why don’t you spend a few weeks in Cuba and find out what it’s really like?
Marzo 4th, 2013 at 12:21
Yes Marabu I think Help needs help.
Marzo 4th, 2013 at 12:03
@Help
I beg your pardon:
“There is no blockade of Cuba. There is no international embargo of Cuba. There never was. The embargo directly affects only some small US importers of cigars and rum, and only marginally.”
The embargo, in the first place affects millions of Americans, who are not permitted to travel to see with their own eyes what Cuba is about. Instead, many of them read the propaganda of Miami fanantics and think it is true.
The embargo affects those Americans who are not able to pay US medical bills and are not allowed to travel to get a less expensive treatment in Cuba.
The embargo affects Swiss (and other countries) banks, who, in the USA, pay millions of $ penalties just for trading with Cuba.
The embargo affects shipping lines of any country, which may not enter any US port for 6 months after having departed from Cuba.
The embargo affects cuban artisans, painters, fashion designers, restaurant and bed&breakfast owners who are not allowed to advertise on Google or Ebay nor accept payments via PayPal.
It appears, Help, you are a victim of Miami fanatics, too.
Marzo 4th, 2013 at 11:52
Help
You’re getting your various isms a bit jumbled up.
And you can’t seem to decide if there is an embargo or not.
In fact I think you’re losing the plot.
Marzo 4th, 2013 at 11:50
Nick,
Before I go, the only angry one here is you.
You know deep down that your fantasies have nothing to do with reality and it’s only your rage that will keep you believing them.
I have talked with too many thousands of people like you to get mad. They were as sure that Stalin and Mao were democrats as you are about Castro.
Castro has nothing to do with socialism or power to the people. He bet on the wrong horse, that’s all.
He will now try to take Cuba down the China path while spewing out socialist and anti-American rhetoric because it is so profitable and keeps foreign support so high.
Marzo 4th, 2013 at 11:32
Nick,
You’re right, I have no idea where your ambassador lives. I was referring to the embassy itself.
I do know he is well-protected. I know most Cubans aren’t.
I know you could never stomach socialism but like to fantasize about it.
There is nothing more I would like than to see Castro deposed.
Neither I nor the CIA care who Cubans vote for.
Anything else is the paranoid fantasies of Castro supporters who still believe cold war propaganda decades after socialism collapsed.
There is no blockade of Cuba. There is no international embargo of Cuba. There never was.
The embargo directly affects only some small US importers of cigars and rum, and only marginally.
Propaganda about the embargo is great business though, the Castros pocket billions a year from their “anti-embargo” supporters like Venezuela.
Were you against the embargo of South Africa? Do you think all embargoes are criminal?
Were you for Hitler too? Do you think it was criminal to embargo Hitler? That’s what most politicians thought in 1939.
Do you always agree with how most politicians vote? Then why don’t you support capitalism?
The last fascist dictator in Latin America is Castro. Over the last few decades, it was US pressure that helped get rid of all the others.
You support Latin America’s last fascist dictatorship. Think about it.
Marzo 4th, 2013 at 10:58
The Man Comes Around:
Great post.
and
R I P Johnny Cash (A true American Legend).
Marzo 4th, 2013 at 10:51
Help
You’re wrong again. The Queen of England’s official residence in Cuba, occupied by her incumbant ambassador, is not in Miramar, it is in Vedado.
I’ve been there. I Heard Mr Dew’s farewell speech. He was not just referring to Vedado, which is itself a nice neighbourhood, he was referring to the safety of Havana as a city. Everyone present understood his remarks.
Do you think that if Fidel had called what you call ‘free and open elections’ it would have made the slightest difference to the appalling policies of U S governments.
Did your government not back the un-elected fascist dictator, Pinochet, rather than the democratically elected Allende?
Did your government not back the coup against Chavez who was democratically elected by a majority much greater than that of any U S president?
Does your government not constantly kiss the butt of China and Saudi Arabia?
If Fidel had lost elections he would have lost; if he had won elections then the USA would have carried on with their pathetic attempts to assasinate him regardless. So maybe he thought he had nothing to gain.
Despite this perfectly logical reasoning of Fidel’s, I actually happen to think he should have called for greater and more open democracy in Cuba. That is my point of view.
If you declare that you believe in democracy then join Yoani Sanchez in calling for an end to your blockade.
Out of 196 countries only 2 consistantly vote for it. USA and Israel.
Oh and they usually manage to rope in a third. This last time it was the Marshall Islands I think.
If you are as pro-democracy as you say you are then call for an end to this undemocratic and internationally illegal blockade.
Perhaps, like successive U S governments, you only apply democracy when it suits.
Fidel is old and frail.
He is now becoming part of the past rather than the future of Cuba.
I think Mr Help, that perhaps a part of you would prefer no change.
You would prefer some Castro or other in power for ever so you can carry on getting all steamed up about it.
I put forward positive remarks backed with reason you get angrier and angrier with your one sided, one eyed rhetoric.
Fortunately other of your compatriots are more forward looking like this latest delagation, or President Carter a couple of years ago.
Mr Help stop living in the past and lets get on with the future.
Marzo 4th, 2013 at 10:40
oh wow good to have a pleasant surprise as I am back… Nick is dishing it out to upset the consensus the US apologists set here and Help is doing what he does worst trying to pretend all is great in capitalism and all is bad in socialism which is to his logic fascism… God forbid in his vision that corporate capitalism is a form of fascism mixed with imperialism…
And MsY brags on and on like Penelope waiting for Ulyses, only about the dictator.. So we either wear the clothes of the Armani-Mercedes-priveatejet apparatchiks or the religious mafia of the corporate or church world.. or we get the olive green fatigues … Great choice for humanity… After seeing these you wonder which one produces the worst clothes… but in the mean time as we can see Castro was right again and better suited … the Pope didn’t outlast if not outlived him… he outlasted this one too!… ‘fashion sense’ to Castro again!
Marzo 4th, 2013 at 09:21
Nick,
A more democratic Cuba is one where Cubans can vote against Castro, or decide anything at all about their lives.
What disturbs me is fascism. And all the people who want liberty and capitalism for themselves but fascism and socialism for others.
Let’s face it Nick. You would never, ever want to live like an ordinary Cuban.
In fact, the Cuban government would never let you because they know you’d never survive and would hate Cuba.
If you have no money and want to do propaganda work for Castro, you’ll be put up in the best available housing. Special rations are put aside just for you and the other communists. You’ll get all sorts of special favors that other Cubans can’t get, and Cubans know that if they harm you they’ll get special punishment.
While most Cubans have waited 54 years for promised housing that never came and can never fill their ration books.
Imperialism works great in Cuba.
The British ambassador lives somewhere around 5th or 7th avenue in Miramar, on the embassy strip. I’ve passed it many times. There are armed police and guards everywhere, and also plainclothes security, protecting embassy workers and all the foreign residents of the area. And his son’s school has great security too.
Like I told you, foreigners are well-protected in Cuba. I enjoy that part of imperialism too.
Your ambassador will be well-protected in Colombia, unless he runs into some of Castro’s FARC or drug-cartel friends, the ones who kidnap foreigners.
Marzo 4th, 2013 at 08:32
@Nick
It is healthy and noble for Cubans training and dreaming about baseball career.
Baseball players are welcome - unlike the ones who cheat the US immigration system. I mean the Cubans who yell “I am opressed in Cuba” and after 365 days, when they get their green card, keep flying to the “land of the opressor” an trade with them.
A Cuban can fly to Cuba to bring goods for sale - an American can not. This law much change.
Marzo 4th, 2013 at 07:51
Good News.
The Cuban baseball team has won again in Japan.
They are through to the next stage.
I think Cubans will care much more about this than any on-going disagreement between me and Mr Help.
Arriba Cuba.
Marzo 4th, 2013 at 07:46
Help,
All I can say to you is that I hope for a better and more democratic Cuba.
For some reason this seems to disturb you.
I hope that Cuba does not embrace the corporate capitalist extremism that is pushing democracy aside in many parts of the world
I hope Cuba does not go down a neo liberal economic route or lose any soverignty.
I am aware that my hopes are not what will decide the future.
But whilst on the subject of my hopes, I have to say that I hope that this ridiculous and totally UN-DEMOCRATIC United States embargo of Cuba is lifted asap.
I agree with Yoani Sanchez calling for an end to the absurdity of this embargo.
Her recent comments on this seem to have caused some controversy in the more hardcore anti castro lobby.
My final comment on the crime rate in Havana:
Mr John Dew (British Ambassador to Cuba 2004-08) praised the safety of Havana in his farewell speech.
He said his young son could walk (without any security guards)to school each day and also play safely out in the streets with his cuban buddies.
There are many parts of my own country where it is unsafe for kids to do this.
Mr Dew said that he himself had walked and cycled around Havana regularly on his own in complete safety.
He said he was perhaps not anticipating the same in his next posting in Bogota.
Was the Queen of England’s official representative in Cuba lying?
Did he say this because he was scared of being beaten up by cuba’s secret service agents?
Was he a Castro admirer?
Was he a communist?
If the answer to any of the above is yes then he would have been out of a job pretty damn quick.
You claim to care about the truth Mr Help.
But how about when the truth does not fit conveniently into your own political agenda??
Marzo 3rd, 2013 at 20:11
Nick,
I don’t care what Mandela or Castro or Bush or Obama says. I care about the truth.
And in Cuba the truth is what thousands of Cubans have told me, almost unanimously.
Cuba is as democratic as Stalinist Russia and Maoist China.
My cousins “voted” for the socialist constitution, or whatever the Fidel for Life campaign was called, by answering the door to some communists who told them to sign their names on a piece of paper in front of them. They signed or else.
That’s your “different type of democracy” for you.
I don’t distinguish between left-wing fascists, rapists and murderers and right-wing fascists, rapists and murderers.
Apparently all Castro admirers do.
Marzo 3rd, 2013 at 18:42
Help.
I stated the following:
‘Cuba has elections and its own form of democracy in which many participate.
Should this be reformed and improved??
Yes. Definitely.’
You translate this to mean that I ‘…believe Cubans shouldn’t be allowed to vote’.
What planet are you on?
Nelson Mandela stated that:
“The Cuban people hold a special place in the hearts of the people of Africa. The Cuban internationalists have made a contribution to African independence, freedom and justice unparalleled for its principled and selfless character - We in Africa are used to being victims of countries wanting to carve up our territory or subvert our sovereignty. It is unparalleled in African history to have another people rise to the defence of one of us - The defeat of the apartheid army was an inspiration to the struggling people in South Africa! Without the defeat of Cuito Cuanavale our organizations would not have been unbanned! The defeat of the racist army at Cuito Cuanavale has made it possible for me to be here today! Cuito Cuanavale was a milestone in the history of the struggle for southern African liberation!”
Are you proud that USA was supporting the Apartheid government of South Africa during this conflict?
As a British guy I find it shameful that the British government was giving support to the South Africans at this time.
I have no way of verifying the statement of the good pastor from Ontario.
I would not want to accuse a man of the cloth of untruths or exageration.
Although I do somehow find it difficult to believe that Fidel Castro, despite all his errors, flaws etc, personally ordered the butchery of Angolan lepers all the way from his Havana command post.
However I am aware that abuses and atrocities occur in all conflicts.
US forces are comitting abuses and atrocities right up into this 21st century including in Iraq and Afganistan.
The British forces out there are relatively unscathed by accusations of such atrocious acts.
I do not say this as a boast.
I am aware that British Forces were guilty of horrific atrocities in Afganistan in the 1840s…
I always try not to ever justify war. It always includes its atrocities.
I guess I would condone the war against fascism in the 30s/40s.
And maybe also the war against the expansionism of apartheid South Africa in the 70s/80s.
Marzo 3rd, 2013 at 16:14
Nick, thanks for your confirmation.
You believe there are good terrorists and bad terrorists. Good terrorists blow up bad capitalist babies, and bad terrorists are the guys Fidel says are bad terrorists.
You also believe Cubans shouldn’t be allowed to vote.
Not even Fidel Castro, who is a deluded egomaniac surrounded by yes men, was ever deluded enough to believe he could win an election. Not even in 1959.
Only his foreign admirers can be that deluded.
None of the Cubans I know agree with you about Angola either. No Cuban I ever met volunteered, although Fidel said they were all volunteers. Here’s an example of their good work:
***Re: Counting Cuban Atrocities, letter to the editor, Aug. 18.
As a former United Church of Canada missionary to Angola, I can attest to Cuban atrocities even more horrific than those mentioned by letter-writer Andrew Galloway.
In 1975, the Cuban army arrived in Angola to support the Russian-backed Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA). They first went north and turned their guns on Holden Roberto’s National Front for the Liberation of Angola, then wheeled around south to attack Jonas Savimbi’s National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA). Eventually, after destroying our central mission station in Dondi, they arrived at the Kavango Leprosarium. After ordering all of the lepers, their families and their helpers into their huts, they set fire them on fire, burning everyone to death. Any who emerged were machine-gunned. This was attested to by one of our pastors, who saw it all from the bush where he was hiding.
Ten years later I travelled to Jamba, UNITA’s capital in the southeastern part of the country. I was taken to a camp occupied by hundreds of survivors of Cuban poison-gas attacks. Nerve gas, when it does not kill outright, leaves the victim with a mind that has been completely addled and, at times, limbs that no longer function. It was the most horrific sight that I have ever witnessed.
Now that Fidel Castro is reaching the end, it is my fervent wish that he burn in Hell.
John Hart, Mississauga, Ont.
Marzo 3rd, 2013 at 15:49
GREAT INTERVIEW WITH OUR FAVORITE FLACA!
YOUTUBE: ENTREVISTA A YOANI SANCHEZ/INTERVIEW AT YOANI SANCHEZ IN BRAZIL (48 minutos) Canal Livre - Yoani Sánchez - 24/02/13 - Completo (HD)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=pEQX3adT0lA
Marzo 3rd, 2013 at 13:33
Tell Obama to receive Yoani Sanchez to speak about Cuba. Sign petition here: https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/invite-cuban-dissident-blogger-yoani-sanchez-white-house-speak-about-situation-human-rights-cuba/XznCym2Q
Marzo 3rd, 2013 at 13:08
Help,
Sorry there are some questions of yours that I did no answer.
Cuba is not crime free.
It would be absurd to say it is crime free.
I suggest it has a low crime rate in comparison to other big cities in The Americas.
Do I think crime should be repoted in Cuban Press?
Yes.
Do I think Cuba should publish crime stats?
Yes
If they were low would they be believed by the anti Castros .
Probably not.
Angola?
I know many Cubans who volunteered to fight in Angola against the racist white supremasist South African forces.
They are proud of this.
Nelson Mandela said he would have been in jail even longer were it not for Cuban involvement.
I think Cuban veterans who went to Angola deserve a better country in the future which is what I hope they will get.
Mr Help, Good day to you sir.
Marzo 3rd, 2013 at 12:51
Help,
Maybe you have spent the majority of your Cuba visiting time in Havana?
Havana is (and always has been)the least pro Fidel/Raul part of the island.
Palestine, Basque Country, Columbia?
You are broadening things out a bit now.
Is a palestinian terrorist someone who stands up to the ongoing Israeli land grab?
I know Cuba is currently achieving significant progress in brokering peace talks between different Columbian factions.
Elections? Democracy??
Would USA 2001 be a good example of this?
George W was only a candidate because of Daddy Bush and only got where he did because of Brother Bush rigging the vote in Florida.
He ended up with less votes nationally than the other fella and was declared the winner.
Despite this farce, which would not have been ratified by any international monitors had there been any, American republicans still have the audacity to accuse Cuba of a lack of democracy and nepotism.
By the way I do not accuse you of being a republican.
In much of the world a grotesque form of neo liberalist predatory capitalism is causing economic chaos and social deprivation.
It is capital triumphing over democracy. It is Capital defeating democracy.
It has to change.
Many see Cuba as an alternative.
I say Cuba is a very imperfect alternative which hopefully will become a much better alternative.
Cuba has elections and its own form of democracy in which many participate.
Should this be reformed and improved??
Yes. Definitely.
Marzo 3rd, 2013 at 11:35
Marabu #72, can’t you express your disagreement without using such inflammatory language? Besides, not sure but you may be mixing up Cuban pesos with US dollars in your pig analogy.
From what I have read and heard, the reason many Cubans are able to take trips abroad is because of remittances sent to them from family and friends living abroad.
Marzo 3rd, 2013 at 09:50
I just returned from Havana and our tourist hotel was filled with people wearing Obama TShirts and hats and experiencing an “educational exchange” - not on a tourist junket - in a $240 / night hotel room.
One comment was telling. “This city must be conserved!” said one pasty Obama voter to everyone in the lobby…
My question - what does she want preserved? The underage prostitution (of both sexes)? The grinding poverty? The deteriorating buildings and holes in the sidewalks and eternal renovation projects? Maybe the beating and arrest of a dissident who was brave enough to stand in front of the Capitolo and complain about Cuba’s lack of human rights?
The older Cubans who adore Fidel from the old days are dying off, the burocratos who depend on the status quo are afraid of a free Cuba, the parents want a better life for their children, and the young? The young want change.
It will not come from any appointee from any Castro, but from free elections as Fidel promised in 1959. Just the first of decades of lies.
Marzo 3rd, 2013 at 06:40
Nick,
I don’t know what t-shirts, pictures and tattoos you are talking about, but about the only Che t-shirts and Fidel pictures I’ve ever seen in Cuba are in tourist spots and on billboards.
So we’ve had different experiences, that’s all. Maybe I’m wrong, happens a lot.
Here’s what I recommend. Free and open elections in Cuba so we can all see that Castro is as popular as you think he is.
Also, Castro should open his crime statistics so we can see Cuba is a safe country.
That would clear up my confusion and I’ll come back here and admit I’m wrong.
Don’t you agree?
Don’t you think it odd that Castro never held an election?
Even in 1959, at the height of his popularity?
Are you for open internationally-monitored elections in Cuba?
And since you talk about terrorism, do you think all the Basque, Palestinian, Colombian terrorists walking around free in Cuba living the high life should pay for their crimes?
Should Cubans who committed terrorism in Angola, like the massacre of lepers and their families and aid workers, be put on trial?
Do you think there are good and bad terrorists, depending if Castro likes them?
Just a few questions if you care to answer.
Marzo 2nd, 2013 at 14:50
In Yoani’s Twitter box to the right of this page I read:
QUOTE: “I also think in so many Cubans who even saving all the earnings of a whole life, could never pay an air ticket to anywhere”
THIS IS A FLAT LIE.
I have never been to Cuba but assume that the price of a grown-up pig must be around at least $100, probably more. If it were less, Cuba would have the cheapest pork in the world, which is not the case.
Now, if you grow up just 10 pigs, you get AT LEAST $1000 for it in Cuba. Of course you have your own costs, you have to cultivate sweet potato or soya, so the profit is much less then $1000, lets say it is $400.
And for $400 you can buy a ticket from Havana to Mexico or to Santo Domingo.
And what if you grow 20 pigs?
Yoani, we all respect your individual opinions, no matter how naive they are.
But please: DO NOT LIE.
Marzo 2nd, 2013 at 10:29
Help,
One of the things USA and Cuba has in common is the death penalty which puts them both in a minority. I do not condone this myself.
The man responsible for bombing the cubana passenger plane in 1976 was also behind the hotel bombings in Havana in 1997. (I was walking past the Hotel Capri when the bomb went off there followed by one in the Nacional)
This man was trained by the CIA,has admitted his involvement and states that these terrorist acts were justifiable.
He is a free man and yes he lives in Miami.
All the many many people I have met in Cuba who do not share your anti castro views are not doing it for my benefit.
You think they wear t shirts for my benefit or put pictures on their wall or have tattoos done just to con me??
Whatever you say Mr Help you will not make me think that the whole world is out to con me because I’m not the paranoid kind.
Nor would I ever describe myself as particularly ‘pro castro’.
I wish you a good day too Mr Help.
Marzo 2nd, 2013 at 09:40
Nick,
Sorry, I missed your question.
Of course not, if anyone in Miami engaged in terrorism I’d be the first to pull the lever or trigger. The right-wing Norwegian wacko should be hung or shot as soon as possible.
I tried to explain that anti-Castro doesn’t mean right-wing.
Of course, I wouldn’t take Fidel’s word that someone is guilty of terrorism. I’d like to see the evidence.
And I’d like Fidel to shut down all his terrorist training camps also (if they’re still open).
I’m not hung up on crime in Cuba, I’m more hung up on US crime which affects me. I just responded to your assertions with what practically every Cuban tells me.
All my family and friends in Cuba are hung up on crime, the police protection of criminals and the awful corruption there.
If you believe that
“Some Cubans are pro Fidel/Raul, some are anti, many are somewhere in between,”
then I can assure you that are being conned each time you go to Cuba.
Many Cubans lie to pro-Castro foreigners, even to the point of saying they like Castro.
Next time you’re in Cuba, please ask Castro for an election so we can see that you’re right about his popularity.
And while you’re at it, ask him to release crime statistics so we can see that Cuba is a safe country.
Have a good day, Nick.
Marzo 2nd, 2013 at 08:08
@Nick
Of course there are good terrorists - those fighting in Syria or in Russia.
If someone plants a bomb on May 1st. parade in Havana he will never be a terrorist - he will be a freedom fighter and get a monument in Miami.
Marzo 2nd, 2013 at 06:24
Help,
I also have family in Cuba and I have travelled from one end of the country to the other and met many people there. Some Cubans are pro Fidel/Raul, some are anti, many are somewhere in between. This is what my experience of Cuba is.
You seem very caught up on this business about Cuba being safe/unsafe.
It would seem that you would rather Cuba was much more dangerous than it is because that would fit nicely with your own political point of view.
I notice you did not respond to my previous comment (#51)
Do your anti castro views go so far that think it is a good idea that terrorists are allowed to live freely in USA because their acts of terror were committed against Cuba?
Do you think there are good terrorists(pro USA) and bad terrorists (anti USA)?
Marzo 2nd, 2013 at 01:04
Help,
Outstanding posts today!
Marzo 1st, 2013 at 23:22
Anonimous on #63!! WHY WOULD I DO HIS JOB FOR HIM?? DUH! IF HE WANTS TO MAKE A POINT, HE BEST BACK IT UP WITH INFORMATION AND LINK! DUH!!
Marzo 1st, 2013 at 23:00
Nick,
You probably believe all the Miami is the devil propaganda you have read.
Just so you know, the first people Castro got rid of are all the honest leftists and centrists.
The old-timers who fled to Florida are mainly anti-Batista rebels who were betrayed and persecuted by Castro. You can understand many of them hate Castro, especially since Castro was quick to torture and kill his opponents back then.
There have been worse dictators than Castro, Hitler to name just one. I can admit that Hitler did great things for the highway system and rocket technology in Germany.
I detest the fascist Mideast dictators but can say that some of their cities are very safe.
I would be the first to say that a two-bit dictator like Castro has done good things for Cuba if I knew of any good thing to say.
I have family in Cuba and have met thousands of Cubans. I just post here what they tell me and what I’ve seen. Telling them Tijuana and Guatemala are more dangerous than Havana doesn’t make them feel any better.
For a police state, I think Cuba’s crime rate should be a lot lower. If Castro had a safe country to brag about, he would open his crime statistics to the world.
Marzo 1st, 2013 at 22:26
Maribu the troll writes:
“if a US citizen would go on a foreign sponsored political trip… he would get anything between 5 and 20 years in the USA”
That’s interesting. I know many Americans who have gone to Cuba on Castro sponsored political trips. Some even worked for Castro bashing the USA before coming home without any problems.
I knew others that went to the Soviet Union on Stalin and Kruschev and Brezhnev sponsored political trips and others that went to China on Mao sponsored political trips.
And China still sponsors many Americans.
Of course there are the famous Americans who went to North Vietnam on Ho Chi Minh sponsored political trips.
The Saudis, Iranians and other Mideast kingdoms have sponsored millions of Americans between them.
Jimmy Carter openly takes funding from them, even the ones who fund terrorism and kill American soldiers.
So of the many millions of Americans who have been on foreign sponsored political trips, can Maribu name just one who has been sent to prison?
Marzo 1st, 2013 at 21:24
62, so you are illiterate.
Marabu told you nicely:
18 USC Chapter 115
Copy that and paste it into Ixquick search engine, something that you are an expert on (copy and paste), and you will get the document served to you to read (a stretch, I know… reading is not your best angle)
Marzo 1st, 2013 at 20:36
Marabu on #60 !! CAN YOU DEFINE THESE “TRAITOR” CHARGES AND SENTENCING GUIDELINES?? YOU KNOW WE LOVE THOSE LINKS AROUND HERE IF YOU ARE TO BE TAKEN SERIOUSLY!
Marzo 1st, 2013 at 20:30
Marabu said: “This means an English language forum poster, who makes $42K p.a. will now get $38K. (Spanish language posters make only $25K and will also get 9% less).”
Marabito! THERE IS NO NEED TO PAY ME IN ANY MANNER! THIS COMMENT AND SIMILAR ATTEMPTS AT DEFAMATION, INNUENDO, GOSSIP AND CHISMES DIRECTED AT MY PERSON OR PERSONS LIKE ME ARE WORTH MILLIONS OF DOLLARS DEAR!!
Marzo 1st, 2013 at 20:03
@Anonimous
You are exagerrating a bit. Not every traitor gets killed in the USA.
For example, if a US citizen would go on a foreign sponsored political trip, as Yoani does now, he would get anything between 5 and 20 years in the USA. A number of sections of 18 USC Chapter 115 are dealing precisely with that.
Marzo 1st, 2013 at 19:45
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=auoe5zghW78&feature=endscreen&NR=1
Can’t get better than that. Cuba is growing in popyularity faster than any other country and/or person in the world.
Long live CUBA!!!! Domestic traitors should go to prison.
In usa they kill them, by the way. It’s the law there.
Marzo 1st, 2013 at 18:47
9% less for all - this includes Cuba programs.
As you have probably heard on the news, 9% across the board cuts in all US civilian expenditure come in force today.
This includes the federal financing for the Miami fanatics (your know them: Castro=Hilter=Stalin=Devil). This means an English language forum poster, who makes $42K p.a. will now get $38K. (Spanish language posters make only $25K and will also get 9% less).
Less money will also be available for the US representation office in Havana and the iPhones for Yoani and her “persecuted” companions.
Marzo 1st, 2013 at 18:13
SORRY, POST #56 & #55 ARE MINE! BUT YOU KNEW THAT ALREADY BY MY SIGNATURE CAPS! JE JE JE!
Marzo 1st, 2013 at 17:30
HOW VERY IRONIC INDEED! SOMEDAY SOON WE WILL KNOW ALL THE DETAILS!
FOX NEWS LATINO: Cuban Medicine Killed Hugo Chavez - By Joel Hirst
There is perhaps no worse political disaster for the government of Cuba than the death of President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela. After the Soviet Union collapsed and ceased to subsidize the Castro regime, the government of Cuba went through a very difficult period. That is, until President Chávez picked up the tab.
If there was anybody that could expect the very best Cuban medicine had to offer, it was the Castro’s five billion dollar man. This makes the upcoming death of Chávez that much more embarrassing for the Castros, because the velocity at which the strongman has deteriorated is due in no small part to the incompetence of the Cuban doctors at Cimeq - the hospital of choice for the communist party leaders.
According to Dr. Jose Marquina, who has become well known for having the only information on the Venezuelan president’s condition that has proved over time to be accurate, the Cuban doctors are at least partially at fault for the Venezuelan leader’s imminent demise. He has said that the Cubans misdiagnosed the cancer, treating Chávez with chemotherapy and other treatments designed for the wrong type of cancer. This made the disease resistant and impossible to treat, while causing other complications which affected not only Chávez’s life expectancy but also the quality of what life remained.
If President Chávez, with an unlimited wallet and access to the best Cuban medicine has to offer —as the VIP of Havana’s Cimeq hospital, the hospital of the communist party leadership and Fidel himself — was assassinated by Cuban mal-practice, it begs the question what can ordinary Cubans hope for from their dilapidated dictatorship?
CLICK LINK FOR ENTIRE ARTICLE!
latino.foxnews.com/latino/opinion/2013/02/28/cuban-medicine-killed-hugo-chavez/
Marzo 1st, 2013 at 16:34
COMMITTEE TO PROTECT JOURNALISTS: Authorities must explain conviction of Cuban writer
New York, February 28, 2013–Cuban writer and blogger Ãngel Santiesteban Prats is expected to begin serving a five-year jail sentence today on assault and trespassing charges brought by his former wife, accusations he has insisted have been fabricated.
“We call on Cuban authorities to clarify the details of the trial against Santiesteban,” said Carlos LaurÃa, CPJ’s senior program coordinator for the Americas. “The Cuban government has often thrown independent journalists in jail on trumped-up charges without substantiating any wrongdoing. Authorities must fully disclose the evidence against Santiesteban,” said LaurÃa.
Santiesteban, an award-winning writer and author of the critical blog Los Hijos que Nadie Quiso (The Children Nobody Wanted), was sentenced in late 2012, and his conviction was confirmed on appeal on January 28. Cuba is the only country in the Americas with a reporter jailed for his work, CPJ research shows.
cpj.org/2013/02/authorities-must-explain-conviction-of-cuban-write-1.php
Marzo 1st, 2013 at 16:33
Marabu & nick!!! THE REASONS FOR THE “LOWER CRIME STATISTICS” IN CUBA ARE DUE TO THE FACTS THAT THEY JAIL JUST ABOUT ANYONE WHO COMMITS ANY TYPE OF CRIME (of course not those that are part of the Castrofascist oligarchy mafia) INCLUDING THOSE WHO WANT TO EXERCISE THEIR FREEDOM OF SPEECH AND EXPRESSION! ADD TO THAT THE “GUN CONTROL” THEY PRACTICE THERE AND YOU GOT A “SAFE” ENVIRONMENT FOR ALL THOSE DOLLAR$ AND EURO$ SPENDING TOURI$T$! EVERYTHING FOR THE TOURI$T OF COUR$E, THEY RULE!
HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: Prisoners generally are confined in poor and abusive conditions, often in overcrowded cells. Officials frequently punish political prisoners who complain about poor conditions or do not obey prison rules with long periods in punitive isolation cells, restriction on visits, or denial of medical treatment. Cuba does not permit the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to visit prisoners in Cuba; the last ICRC visit to a Cuban prison was in 1989.
UNITED NATIONS: Situation of human rights in Cuba - 24 October 1995
III. CONDITIONS IN THE PRISONS
37. Non-governmental sources have informed the Special Rapporteur that
they have recorded the existence of 294 prisons and correctional labour
camps throughout the country; it is estimated that there are between
100,000 and 200,000 prisoners in all categories; this figure represents a
very high proportion of the country’s population. It is also a matter of
concern, bearing in mind the fact that the Special Rapporteur is still
receiving reports on the precarious living conditions in the prisons, such
as those described below.
38. In early 1995, there was an epidemic of leptospirosis at the Combinado
del Este prison which resulted in the deaths of several inmates. More than
100 prisoners had to be hospitalized.
39. The Special Rapporteur has received a list of 26 inmates of a section
of the Kilo 7 prison, in the province of Camaguey, who allegedly had
tuberculosis. Moreover, in February 1995, an outbreak of diarrhoea
apparently affected the great majority of the 1,300 inmates of that prison.
An outbreak of tuberculosis at the Combinado del Sur prison in Matanzas has
also been reported; there were six deaths at this prison during the past
year. Cases of scabies also appear to be widespread.
http://www.un.org/documents/ga.....50-663.htm
Marzo 1st, 2013 at 16:23
COMMITTEE TO PROTECT JOURNALISTS: Authorities must explain conviction of Cuban writer
New York, February 28, 2013–Cuban writer and blogger Ãngel Santiesteban Prats is expected to begin serving a five-year jail sentence today on assault and trespassing charges brought by his former wife, accusations he has insisted have been fabricated.
“We call on Cuban authorities to clarify the details of the trial against Santiesteban,” said Carlos LaurÃa, CPJ’s senior program coordinator for the Americas. “The Cuban government has often thrown independent journalists in jail on trumped-up charges without substantiating any wrongdoing. Authorities must fully disclose the evidence against Santiesteban,” said LaurÃa.
Santiesteban, an award-winning writer and author of the critical blog Los Hijos que Nadie Quiso (The Children Nobody Wanted), was sentenced in late 2012, and his conviction was confirmed on appeal on January 28. Cuba is the only country in the Americas with a reporter jailed for his work, CPJ research shows.
http://cpj.org/2013/02/authori.....rite-1.php
Marzo 1st, 2013 at 15:12
As to the crime statistics:
Yoani and a dozen of other “dissidents” are more then happy to report any murder or larger theft. This is their mission. They don’t write much about the topic though. Crime reporters can make better money in Mexico.
Marzo 1st, 2013 at 15:08
Help,
If you log back on at some point then Hi how are you?
I 100% do not think Havana is the safest city on earth.
But you did have to cast the net pretty wide to come up with safer places.
Japan? Never been there but I suspect you are right. The Cuban baseball squad is in Japan right now and I wish them the very best of luck. If I ever have the pleasure to bump into Victor Mesa, Freddy Cepeda or Vlad Garcia at some point in the future I will ask them how safe they felt there.
Norway? Yes I have been. Very safe.
Although not so safe if you were a youngster of left wing political point of view going off to summer camp a little while ago.
Good that they got that crazy right wing terrorist locked up now.
Do they lock up crazy right wing terrorists in USA?
Not if their victims are cuban.
My remarks are not aimed to make you angry Mr Help.
I wish you well.
Griffin,
I hope you are right when you say that a pro cuban rather than pro usa government will transpire.
I see your point of view entirely and I understand you.
What is best/worst though?
Huge state corporations owneded by the cuban military in control or huge multi-national corporations (backed up by a different military?)in control??
I don’t know which I choose.
Or which is the most pro cuban option.
Marzo 1st, 2013 at 14:16
nick,
When the Castro regime comes to an end, it won’t be replaced by a pro-USA leadership. The reborn Cuba will have, for the first time in 60 years, a pro-Cuban government.
Cuba faces two challenges: The first is time: if the regime takes too long to make the necessary changes, the system will collapse before it is free and viable. The second is whether the changes Raul Castro is directing will lead to a truly liberalized and democratic Cuba, or will it lead to a Cuba under the control of a more powerful regime financed by the huge state corporations controlled by the military and no freedom or human rights for the Cuban people.
Marzo 1st, 2013 at 14:11
Nick,
It’s been fun but my internet browsing is up for the day. I’m not foaming at the mouth now.
You comments are priceless:
“Nobody can objectively say that Havana is an un-safe city in the context of big cities in the region and worldwide.”
Have you been to Tokyo? Osaka? Hong Kong? Oslo? I can name many others, but I have to go.
Sorry I disagree with you. And so does every Cuban I know.
But after all, none of us are objective and know as much about Cuba as you.
Marzo 1st, 2013 at 13:52
Griffin, my reference to Moscow in the post-communist decade is made because I fear what would happen in Havana if there was a sudden change to a pro USA leadership.
You are correct to say much of this was former kgb vying for power.
I would not wish for such a dramatic and potentially volatile change in Cuba.
I do not anticipate this. I anticipate a more gradual change towards a Cuba with more freedom of expression and more freedom for entrepenuers. I think this change will come too slowly for some and too quickly for others.
Mr Help you are obviously foaming at the mouth at the thought that anyone might have something good to say about Cuba. I tell you this:
Anybody who has travelled the world a bit will tell you that people all over complain about crime.
People in other towns in Cuba, in places where no-one has bars on their doors/windows worry about the crime in the big city of Havana.
I have been in El Cerro, Alamar, Palma, Mantilla and various other parts of Havana.
Some of these neighbourhoods have their problems. Definitely. But in comparison to parts of Sau Paulo?, Panama City? Guatamala City? NYC? Washington D.C.?
And yes Griffin. Caracas for example. The crime rate there is something that ‘the glorious bolivarian revolution’ will have to put on its list of things to sort out.
Nobody can objectively say that Havana is an un-safe city in the context of big cities in the region and worldwide.
Mr Help I dont know where you are from in USA.
I have had the priveledge to visit cities in your country and you know what?
People there have security measures on their homes.
Just like in any other part of the world
Marzo 1st, 2013 at 13:41
Griffin, compare Cuba to Uruguay, Argentina and Chile and Cuba starts to look a lot more dangerous. In fact, it is a lot more dangerous.
Cuban friends have reported serious assaults and police have never shown up. It can take hours for them to show up at a murder scene. The police spend most of their time pimping, stealing, protecting tourists and following dangerous criminals around like Yoani Sanchez.
Granma does not report crime. Cuban police don’t report crime. Hotel staff and tour guides are told to lie about crime.
If Mexican papers, police and tour operators always told you how safe Mexico was, most of Mexico would feel a lot safer too. Especially the Mexican Riviera and parts of Mexico City, where tourists walk around in complete security at night.
I’ve lived a long time and met a lot of refugees from communist countries. Moscow was never close to being safe, except for the areas tourists and foreign guests were allowed to see.
The benefit of the police state does not apply to average Cubans, only to foreigners, and of course, the Cuban rich.
Marzo 1st, 2013 at 13:13
Marabu,
While reliable crime statistics from Cuba are hard to come by, the general opinion is they have a lower crime rate than neighbouring countries such as Haiti, Jamaica, Dominican or Mexico. I walked about Havana during the day (Vedado & Viejo) and felt quite safe. I was told to avoid Centro. Low crime is one of the benefits of a living in a police state.
By comparison, I would not advise walking about Kingston or Caracas at any time of the day. A friend of mine who travels regularly throughout South America say that Caracas is the only city where he feels constant fear.
Marzo 1st, 2013 at 13:02
Nick, perhaps I misunderstood your awkward phrase. I accept that’s not what you meant, however I have heard other Russians say exactly that. Paranoid conspiracy theories are all the rage on the Left these days.
Still, it’s a bit lame to blame the Americans for the crime rate in Moscow. Isn’t it a more reasonable explanation that after 7 decades of brutal totalitarian rule the basic humanity of many Russians had been so degraded that murder and robbery were normalized? Keep in mind, many of these new gangsters were former security agents turning their skills to new field of enterprise.
In case anybody is wondering, Caracas, Venezuela has the highest murder rate in the world. Another glorious victory for the Bolivarian Revolution!
Marzo 1st, 2013 at 12:44
Nick,
Here’s your remark about Gorby and Yeltsin:
“These two introduced, with American help,introduced an era in which Moscow
became the murder capital of the world.”
That’s why Griffin remarked you’re a fool.
I’m glad you think Havana is safe. Can you explain all the bars on the windows and doors please?
Every Cuban I know who can afford them, even in the best neighborhoods, has them.
Will you tell us they don’t exist or are there for decoration? Or maybe Batista put them all in?
How many is “many of its inhabitants” who agree Havana is a safe city? How long have you lived there and in what neighborhood? How many neighborhoods of Havana do you know?
I’m just a private citizen of the USA who uses some of his spare time to debunk all the absurd propaganda that Castro admirers post here.
I’ve been to Havana many times. All complain about the crime and some are afraid to leave their homes during the daytime. All are afraid at night.
I agree Havana is much safer and wonderful for foreigners like you, but that’s what imperialism is, isn’t it?
Marzo 1st, 2013 at 12:40
@Nick
I don’t speak Spanish, unfortunetely, but I would appreciate reading some reports from Guatemala, Honduras orSanto Domingo about safety issues.
I did travel to Mexico and know of the fear of ordinary Mexicans of the shootings, where thousands of innocents passers by died. The right to life is a human right and compared with Mexico Cuba scores very good (AAA) on this human right and with the rest of Americas quite good (AA, perhaps Canada is better).
Marzo 1st, 2013 at 12:00
Oh no.
It seems Mr Help and Mr Griffin are joining forces.
OK.
Griffin: I aint making a fool of myself by saying Gorby and Yeltsin were put in
power by USA because I didnt say that.
I said what the USA government would like in Cuba would be two similarly pro american presidents. This is quite different from saying the USA put G and Y in power.
Help:So all non Cubans who are suspicious of US government foreign policy are ‘armchair socialists enjoying the fat capitalist life’
What an enlightened comment that is.
I did not say Havana is a safe City.
But I will now.
Because it is.
Havana is one of the safest cities I have ever lived in.
Many of its inhabitants (Cubans and non Cubans alike) agree that it is.
OK you are anti-Castro. That’s fine.
But does that mean you have to try and convince people that Havana is un-safe?
Its not 100%safe 100% of the time in every neighbourhood
But you ask anyone from any other capital in the Americas who knows Havana if it is a safe city.
Marzo 1st, 2013 at 11:28
Griffin,
I’m sure Alina’s speculations have a lot of merit. I know Cubans who risked their lives listening to her on their illegal shortwave radios.
It’s crazy to see Cubans spending hours trying to get a few minutes of Voice of America on their hidden radios (because of Castro’s radio jamming).
Before the internet, VOA was the only source of hope for most Cubans.
Like Hitler and Stalin, Castro made listening to VOA illegal.
Although Castro wouldn’t shoot you if you were caught (except in the early years), he would send you to prison and some Cubans never came out.
Marzo 1st, 2013 at 11:12
It’s easy Nick.
No Cuban can post here, except for a few very rich Cubans, some agents of the Castro secret police and a few foreigners.
Almost no Cuban would say Havana is a safe city.
Few Cubans would ever make an anti-American remark.
Your computer, internet connection and anti-American slogans mark you as a typical armchair socialist enjoying the fat capitalist life.
Logic, Nick, not hysteria.
Marzo 1st, 2013 at 10:53
Nick,
You make a fool of yourself when you suggest that Yeltsin & Gorbachev were put in power by the US.
Marzo 1st, 2013 at 10:47
Amribu, re#28:
Alina Fernandez lives in Miami. As far as I know she hasn’t seen her father since she left Cuba in 1993, and perhaps for a long while before that. Fidel was not all that loving toward his illegitimate daughter.
It is her speculation that Diaz-Canal is a placeholder for the Castro clan to buy time. There is some merit to that speculation.
You can read an interview with her here: http://www.foreignpolicy.com/a.....eaks_out_0
You can order her book here:
http://www.amazon.com/Castros-.....ir+of+Cuba
Marzo 1st, 2013 at 10:12
Help me Mr Help,
How do you know where I live or don’t live?
What makes you think I live a fat capitalist life?
I say I don’t want Havana to go through the same terrible era that
Moscow went through and you start giving me all these hysterical
comments.
Just looking back through some of your previous comments Mr Help, I can see that
you should perhaps help us all out and pause for thought a little before you click on ‘enviar comentario’
Marzo 1st, 2013 at 09:36
Great comment Nick, from someone who doesn’t live in Havana, you sure know a lot about that wonderful city.
Where every resident who can afford it has iron grilles, or better steel plates, covering every entrance to their home, and 3 or 4 locks on their front door.
Why are your hopes more important than the hopes of Cubans? They actually have to live there, you know?
Are you another of those imperialists who believe Cubans should shut up and suffer while you live the fat capitalist life?
Marzo 1st, 2013 at 09:06
I agreee, Nick
But before cloning a Yeltsin, the US miliary might bring a type of Pinochet for, say 3 to 5 years to Cuba. This will be necessary, because some Cubans will probably resist hospitals going private and evictions from the apartments by the new (pre ‘59) owners.
A possible scenario is the Pentagon will return Guantanamo to the new “Pinochet” government, only to make there a concentration camp for cuban resistance groups. I doubt the Cubans want to turn their country into another (but much poorer) Russia.
Marzo 1st, 2013 at 08:54
What the Americans want in Cuba is this:
1 A Gorbachov -who now regrets bending over for them.
2 A Yeltsin -a clown, a drunk, a puppet.
These two introduced, with American help,introduced an era in which Moscow
became the murder capital of the world.
Lets just hope that this does not happen in the wonderful city of Havana.
Marzo 1st, 2013 at 08:41
Hank,
Who knows?
Despite comic Marabu’s jokes, Yoani does not report unsubstantiated rumors.
And since it’s impossible to substantiate a rumor in cuba without being thrown in jail, we can be sure Yoani only reports a small percent of all the horrors that happen in Cuba.
Mazorra is a case in point. Without those photos and an admission by the government, leftists would have attacked Yoani for reporting those deaths.
Yet stories of torture and murder at Mazorra have been told by ordinary Cubans for decades.
Another case in point in Angola.
All I’ve heard from Cubans in Angola is horror stories, so there must be some truth to them. It would be very dangerous for any dissident to report them though. Especially as some of the worst war criminals are high up in the Cuban government.
Marzo 1st, 2013 at 08:17
Pedro,
You’re right, the US is alone in condemning Castro, and yes, sometimes the US is right.
Only England stood up to Hitler in 1939.
Most nations said Churchill was wrong and Hitler was a good guy.
That’s what the communists said. They tried to be Hitler’s best friend.
So you must support Hitler? Or do communists sometimes make mistakes?
Like I said, your “truth” is not based on evidence, just propaganda you read in Granma and the Havana Times.