Party Hardy-Not

Apparently there were a lot of people in Miami who didn’t like the idea of a city-sponsored party to celebrate the death of the tyrant, including the Mayor, Manny Diaz.

This from Today’s Herald:

Responding to an international media blitz and outrage from some members of the Cuban-American community, Miami city leaders Tuesday vowed to tone down a proposed large-scale, city-organized public event in the Orange Bowl when Fidel Castro dies.

I believe that the party–planning was a way to control the possible celebrations so as not tarnish the City’s already “banana republic”- like reputation. As a reader commented yesterday the party was a condescension to Cuban – Americans by hand-wringing politicos worried about tourist dollars.

The city’s prophylactic party appeared to have backfired, however:

But the very idea that Miami would mark the death of Castro with a celebratory
event prompted ample criticism -- and coverage by the 24-hour cable news networks and international press following an article in Monday's Miami Herald.

''Miami Plans Castro Death Party in Orange Bowl,'' proclaimed Fox News Channel on Monday.

''When Castro dies, Miami will party like it's 1959,'' chimed in CNN.

So, basically, by forming the planning committee for the party, the Miami politicos caused what they were trying to avoid in the first place.

Personally I don’t think it’s appropriate to attend government-sponsored political rallies. That’s crossing a line that we crossed the Florida Straights to avoid crossing in our country. But that’s me.

The Gusano says he’s going to open a bottle of Cava he has saved up and toast. Later he’ll open a bottle of rum and cry in his Cuba Libre.

No “Castropaloozas” for La Contra Revolución.

Maybe this whole episode will have a sobering effect on the Cuban population of South Florida.

Castro’s death, if it ever comes, will just be a bump on the long road toward Cuba’s freedom. No sense starting the journey drunk.




Alright, Maybe just one drink ................................

The Shadow

Seen in a video, a shadow of his former self, Fidel also hangs like a nefarious shadow over Raul and his new regime.

Raul and his cronies know that they need to make some changes since they have gone out on a limb and publicly raised the expectations that economic reforms are in the making.

The Miami Herald today reads the tea leaves under the shadow and points to Lage, the once sidelined reformer, who is expected to take on a more prominent role.

..... experts agree that Lage's heightened profile is a sign of a Cuba to come: one under Raúl, where an economic overhaul could be welcomed.

Once on the edges of the Cuban limelight, Lage has represented Cuba at most international gatherings, from presidential summits to inaugurations, and recently headed a top-level delegation to Caracas to sign a string of agreements with Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, Cuba's top ally and financial backer.

''Lage is key in all this,'' said Wayne Smith, a former chief of the U.S. diplomatic mission in Havana and critic of U.S. Cuba policy. ``Lage had been sort of put in the back seat, because he wanted to move ahead with economic reforms and Fidel didn't. Raúl comes in and makes Lage his right-hand man. He's been brought out of the closet, so to speak.''

...hahaha Raul "out of the closet, so to speak.'' in the same sentence. Wayne made a funny.

Cuba watchers have been pointing to Lage's new found prominence for some time.

The articles touches on the Ramiro Valdes/Raul Castro "partnership" saying that although they are rivals, they were forced to come together in these uncertain times.

``The fact that . . . these two hated guys could come together and hold hands tells you something: in a moment of uncertainty, they will come together.''

I agree with other analysts who believe that it is more of a partnership due to a power struggle where Raul gave Valdes a share of the power to keep him close. Mobsters keep their friends close and their enemies closer.

Although experts wonder whether Raúl Castro named Valdés so he could keep his enemies close, they note that it nevertheless is a sign of closing ranks.

Interestingly, the "Tropical Taliban" appears to be losing influence.

The lower profile is important, because Pérez Roque is a key member of Fidel's inner circle. He's among the hard-liners dubbed Talibans for their strict allegiance to communism.

''He was like a son to Fidel,'' said Susan Kaufman Purcell, director of the Center for Hemispheric Policy at the University of Miami. ``He has apparently been pushed aside. Raúl doesn't want totally devoted protégés of Fidel.''

Also playing lesser roles in the past few months have been Ricardo Alarcón, president of the National Assembly, and Young Communists leaders Hassan Pérez and Otto Rivero, Cuba watchers said.

One thing is certain, though, nothing is going to happen until the shadow is gone and that might take a while.

Read Article

A Day in the Life

I read the news today, oh boy . . .

About a lucky man who made the grade;

And though the news was rather sad,

Well, I just had to laugh—

I saw the photograph . . .

He blew his guts out in a car;

He didn't notice that the times had changed.

A crowd of people stood and stared;

They'd seen his face before;

Nobody was really sure

If he was from the Communist Party.

I saw a film today, oh boy;

The Cuban Army had just won the war.

A crowd of people turned away;

But I just had to look,

Having read the book.

I'd love to turn you on . . .

Woke up, fell out of bed,

Dragged a comb across my head;

Found my way downstairs and drank a cup;

And looking up,

I noticed I was late.

Found my coat and grabbed my hat,

Made the bus in seconds flat;

Found my way upstairs and had a smoke;

Somebody spoke and I went into a dream . . .

I read the news today, oh boy;

Four operations and the prick is still here;

And though the holes were rather small,

They had to count them all.

Now they know how many holes it takes to fill the Carl Marx Hall.

I'd love to turn you on . . .

Falling Flake?

Jeff Flake continues to make a name for himself, or rather, living up to his name in congress.

His attitudes towards immigration and Cuba are being questioned by those in his home state of Arizona.

What those in the eco-system inside the beltway consider “gutsy” those in his home state consider …well…flaky.

Flake’s views have certainly not endeared him to the Republican Party who removed him from his Judiciary Committee position.

Here are some excerpts from an article by J. James Estrada in American Daily.com:

Immigration challenge: Flake-ing out?
By J. James Estrada (01/30/07)

Jeff Flake began his fourth term in Congress this month representing Arizona's 6th Congressional District, just as he's starting to gain a name for himself in Washington. He was named as the "gutsiest" member of Congress by congressional staff members last year. …

Is Flake considered “gutsy” by his own constituents? Not really. …

On Cuba:

….While the populace here in Arizona is living a daily battle to control illegal immigration and its effects on local crime, monetary costs and strain on educational resources, Flake is working hard to secure a more open relationship with Cuba. Here’s what he said in a press release last month: “It is time for the United States to enter a dialogue with Cuba. America has important interests in Cuba and strong disagreements with the Cuban government. At a time when Cuba is changing and the opportunities to advance our interests and values in Cuba are not known, we unanimously believe that the United States should respond positively to the proposal made by Raul Castro…”

Raul Castro is said to be more radical and leftist than his older brother, Fidel Castro, the ailing dictator of Cuba. Why would Flake take the word of someone like Raul Castro to heart? Before the Castro brothers placed Cuba in their iron communist fist nearly 50 years ago, it was Raul who made contact with the Soviet KGB to aid in their efforts to do so. When they did assume power, it was to the detriment of all Cuban citizens, who paid with both blood and money to satisfy the power hungry brothers appetite for control. Raul was responsible for overseeing the execution of soldiers loyal to the overthrown government. And here we are now, with Flake forgetting the lessons of the last century. Dictators are not to be trusted.

Read the Whole Article Here

Morning PATATUN

Wow. Por Nada me da un Patatatun.

The following was written by a student at the University of Texas. Perhaps all is not lost.

Cuba without the Che brand
Claire Harlin

Posted: 1/30/07

He's a teen heartthrob, a rock star icon and a blessing to money-hungry T-shirt company owners worldwide. Millions tout his image in the name of passion, rebellion and leadership. But Ernesto "Che" Guevara, a communist idol who worked alongside Fidel Castro to kill capitalism, has become a classic archetype and a capitalist brand.

And as Castro remains in a serious state of illness, many, including Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, are comparing the Cuban dictator to Che, saying he "will never die."

Let's just hope we don't see Castro's face pop up on stylish T-shirts 40 years from now.

Along with Castro, Guevara managed to inspire tens of thousands of Latin Americans to quit working or drop out of universities to form guerrilla insurgencies almost 50 years ago. Once a leader of Castro's firing squads, Che's cause was to join the Soviets and crush any and all U.S. capitalism and imperialism.

Many Che loyalists today are liberals who believe in his rebellious attitude and opposition to the ruling class (hasta la victoria!), but it makes little sense that these two-fold peaceful anti-war activists tout his representation. It's a clash of ideals to be against armed war in Iraq, but a fan of someone who once wrote, "hatred is an element of struggle ... which pushes a human being beyond his natural limitations, making him into an effective, violent, selective and cold-blooded killing machine."

the rest Here

Bless her. Her Parents must be SO proud.

Harlin is a Latin American studies and journalism senior. (there's hope)

Amnesty International & Cuba

Amnesty international just published its "Human Rights Concerns for Cuba".

It's a long, depressing list.

Marc at Uncommon Sense has More. Complete with links to the individuals mentioned in the report so can learn more.

And, in case you're thinking that Amnesty international is a right-wing Miami-Mafia Mouthpiece, here's the link to the Human Rights Concerns for the USA.

por si las moscas........

Celebrate or Protest?

One of the reasons my father decided to stick me on a boat and risk my young life in the shark-infested waters of the Florida Straights was so that I didn't have to go to forced demonstrations at the Plaza de la Revolucion.

Today in The Miami Herald we learn that the City of Miami is planning a party at the plaza of the Contrarrevolucion, The Orange Bowl.

You see, we hot headded Cubans can't be trusted to celebrate the demise of the tyrant is an acceptable way. The City wants us to celebrate in a politicaly correct-controlled way. In a way that won't offend the sensitivities of the the rest of America.

When Castro dies, the party's on

The city of Miami plans to respond to Fidel Castro's death -- whenever that may be -- with a celebration at the Orange Bowl.

Some quotes:

The city created the citizens committee that is planning the event earlier this month. When the still-unnamed panel met for the first time last week, Castro's death was nowhere to be found on the meeting agenda. The meeting was officially -- and ambiguously -- advertised under the title, ``Committee Meeting for an Event at the Orange Bowl.''

At that meeting, committee member and former state Rep. Luis Morse stressed the need for an uplifting, forward-looking theme for the party -- one not preoccupied with a human being's passing. The committee discussed including such a theme on T-shirts that would be made by private vendors for the event.

And before printing themed T-shirts, Miami has to actually decide what the theme
is. It's still working on that one.

''That has to be done with a lot of sensitivity,'' Morse said. ``Somebody needs to be a very good wordsmith.''

Ramón Saúl Sánchez, leader of the Miami-based Democracy Movement organization, worries about how a party would be perceived by those outside the exile community. He stressed that Castro's death will prompt a whole range of emotions among Cubans -- not just joy.

''The notion of a big party, I think, should be removed from all this,'' Sánchez said. ``Although everybody will be very happy that the dictator cannot continue to oppress us himself, I think everybody is still very sad because there are still prisons full of prisoners, many people executed, and families divided.''

Rather than partying, Sánchez would rather see the post-Castro focus be on improving conditions for those still on the island. If an Orange Bowl event must happen, Sánchez would like to see it in the form of a ''protest concert'' heavy on positive messages.

The city of Miami is suffering from what the Gusano likes to call Cubanophobia. It is afraid that its "third world country" image is going to be tarnished at the sight of a bunch of Cubans whooping it up over the death of Fidel.

Personally, the "protest concert" idea sounds good. But we all came here tobe able to be free to express ourselves. To attend government sponsered political events, kind of defeats the purpose.

Z

Los niños son la esperanza del mundo

Cuba's much touted free health care system is starting to be exposed as the propaganda myth that it is.

It's nothing against he doctors. Cuban doctors seem to be excellent. But that's a tradition that existed well before the "revolution".

The biggest blow to the health care system came when Cuban doctors had to bring in a Spanish doctor to save Fidel's life.

Today The Miami Herald, under new management, tackles Cuba's infant mortality rate.

Ironically, the article comes out on the birthday of the Apostle, who said:

"Los niños son la esperanza del mundo"

Infant mortality rate in Cuba raises eyebrows

Excerpts:

The one health statistic Cuba gives the most publicity to -- and appears to spend the most resources on -- is its infant mortality rate.

On Jan. 3, the official Communist Party newspaper Gramna boasted the country had reduced its infant mortality rate in 2006 to 5.3 per 1,000 live births, considerably below the U.S. rate of 6.0, from 2004, and leading all of Latin America.

Quote from a Cuban Dissident Physician!:

Darsi Ferrer, a dissident physician in Havana, doesn't doubt the Granma report. ''That number is indeed low,'' he told The Miami Herald by telephone. ''That program takes a large amount of resources'' out of the system. ``They don't care about 1- to 5-year-olds.''

''If there was any malformation in the fetus, they would interrupt the pregnancy,'' said Monzón, now a lab technician at Mercy Hospital in Miami. A heart murmur or other serious problems required an abortion. This was ''automatic,'' he said. If the mother objected, a team from the hospital would persuade her an abortion was necessary.

Other sources also say abortion is a tool used to keep infant mortality low, including Andy Gomez at the Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies at the University of Miami, and Carmelo Mesa-Lago, a retired University of Pittsburgh economics professor who has spent decades studying Cuba.

Recent Cuba abortion data is not available, but a study by the Pan American Health Organization from 1998 states Cuba had 70 abortions per 100 deliveries in 1992 and 59.4 in 1996, far higher than the 34 to 38 abortions per 100 live births reported during that time in the United States.

Rest of the Article Here

El Hombre Sincero

More of The Castro Interview

More on Maria Elvira Salazar's Cubanita's interview with Castro.

Here the Tyrant tells why he's a communist and a gutless wonder.

Thanks to Asha Nair at Castrianism for the link.

Dissidents Tell of Lack of Chages

There are no signs that the new Cuban leader, Raul Castro, is going to ease up on the repression and human rights violation.

Cuban dissidents don’t perceive any noticeable changes in the Cuba since Fidel handed power over to his brother.

In statements to the French Press Agency, some dissidents shared their views on the Regime in the last six months:



Marta Beatriz Roque said that new Cuban regime is a continuation of the same Totalitarian Regime under Fidel.

Héctor Palacios and Vladimiro Roca, ex political prisoners say that not a single thing has changed.

For his part, Manuel Cuesta Morúa, from Arco Progresista, feels that there had been a slight easing of repression in the Island.

Dissident Elizardo Sánchez considers that so far Raúl Castro has done nothing to improve fundamental rights and that thing could get worse unless “ a real political miracle were to happen”

"Arbeit Macht Frei"

Everybody from South Florida, to Madrid, to China, to Washington have their eyes on Havana.

They are hoping that once Fidel is buried, that the island’s doors will open.

Great, you say. Freedom at last for the long suffering Cubans. Think again. It’s not about the Biscets or the Fariñas or the Roques in Cuba, it’s about the Benjamins.

There’s money to be made. Plain and simple. And those who would like to put things like freedom, multi-party elections and human rights before profits are cast aside as hard-line reactionary political hacks.

The Cult of the Absurd is alive and well and getting more converts everyday.

The Economist has two articles on Cuba and what the opening of trade with Cuba would mean.

Chickens for Cuba

This articles examines the trade between the Gulf States of the US and Cuba.

Some excerpts:

The state port authority's director, James Lyons, hopes this will change. “We're trading with Vietnam, we're trading with China. These are both communist states,” he says. “It's silly to have tense relations with a neighbour that close.”

In 2005 Alabaman companies did roughly $140m in trade with Cuba, according to Ron Sparks, the state's agricultural commissioner, who is aggressively pursuing Cuban business. “We've sold cotton, we've sold cookies, crackers, fruit juice, mayonnaise, mustard, salad dressing—a lot of processed foods,” says Mr Sparks.

Even if the embargo were to be lifted tomorrow, Mr Lyons cautions that trade would not boom immediately. “They don't have the currency to buy what they need,” he says. But trade works both ways—so how about some Cuban cigars and rum for America?

Whole Article here

In transition

Pressure is growing for a re-think of policy towards the island

This article’s premise is that with the newly seated 110th Congress with Castro sympathizing leftists and amoral capitalists in key positions, will ram Cuban policy changes down the throats of the deaf George W bush and his allies in la Calle Ocho.

Some Excerpts:

…The relevant committees in the 110th Congress are now headed by longstanding critics of the embargo. These include Charles Rangel, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, and Max Baucus, who heads the Senate Finance Committee. In the Senate Joe Biden of Delaware, a liberal and non-ideologue, has taken over the Foreign Relations Committee.

William Delahunt, the Democrat who now heads the oversight panel of the International Relations Committee in the House, has already announced that he will hold hearings shortly into Cuban aid programmes. Other hearings could be held on scandal-plagued Radio and TV Martí, the Miami-based government broadcasting outlets directed at Cuba. A government report has already exposed flaws in aid to Cuba's tiny dissident movement, as well as in funding for anti-Castro projects in the United States.

Critics say all these programmes have done a good job of fuelling the anti-Castro industry in Miami, while having little impact in Cuba. That, of course, has long been the dirty secret of America's Cuba policy. “The administration is not interested in Cuba, it is interested in Calle Ocho,” says Philip Peters, vice-president of the Virginia-based Lexington Institute, referring to the main avenue that cuts through Miami's Little Havana district. Miami's Cuban-American electorate and campaign contributions have long been seen as politically vital, less because of their actual size than because of Florida's perennial importance as a big presidential swing state.

But the travel and money limits, while popular with some hardliners, are disliked by many Cuban-Americans, especially those who have arrived in the past two decades and still have ties to family on the island. Many now advocate personal contacts as a useful vehicle for change.

Last month, a group of Cuban exile organisations in Miami echoed the call for easing restrictions on travel and remittances. Consenso Cubano issued a report saying that the policy violated “fundamental rights of Cubans”. It was endorsed by the influential, and extremely conservative, Cuban-American National Foundation. Four prominent dissidents in Cuba also signed a statement in late November asking America to lift its travel restrictions. American laws “in no way help” their struggle, they said. Will George Bush listen? It's not what he's best known for.

Whole Article here

Like a commenter added to the previous post, lets get ready to say good bye to Radio/TV Marti and for the easement of Travel Restrictions and remittances soon. And maybe even for what is left of the embargo to come down.

The Cubans on the island will of course, get no benefits from this whatsoever, they will just be forced to be more efficient and produce more while they only get about 4 cents out of every dollar that the regime receives from the fruits of their labor.

Cuba will continue to be a concentration/work camp and its captive population slaves.

That’s OK with some people. As long as some farmer is selling more rice and some yuppy in Boston can smoke a Cohiba, it’s all good.

Might as well hang a sign in every street proclaiming:

"Arbeit Macht Frei"

Just like Fidel’s hero did.

Flake's at it again

Flake pushes to lift travel restrictions to Cuba
The aptly named Jeff Flake has teamed up with one of Fidel Castro’s biggest cheerleaders, Charlie Rangel, to introduce H.R.654, a bill to lift the prohibition on Americans traveling to Cuba.

Flake stated:

"A new approach is long overdue”

"For nearly fifty years our current Cuba policy has done little to bring democracy to Cuba,"

"Far from hastening democratic reforms, our current policy has given Fidel Castro a convenient scapegoat for his own regime's failures. With the Cuban government taking new shape, we shouldn't give the new leader the same excuses we've given the old one,"

Flake has long said that he believes that the most effective way to hasten democratic reforms in Cuba is to ease trade and travel restrictions currently imposed by the U.S.

Rest Here

So pack your bags, kiddies and let’s go to Havana and sip some mojitos.

But bring lots of cash because Raul needs it to continue oppress your relatives…err.. I mean to make democratic reforms.

Friday Fast For Political Prisoners In Cuba

Friday Fast For Fariñas

Put down that pastelito. Don't eat that donut. Don't touch that pan con mantequilla. Don't even think about a torreja. Feel your stomach grumble a little. Feel your tripas bacias. And think. Piensalo bien. The guy in the picture, Gaunt and Gandhiesque but with eyes full of fire and hope did it for SEVEN months, Siete Meses. You can do it for a couple of hours. Let him know his sacrifice wasn't forgotten or in vain.

Cult of the Absurd

Fidel, (barely visible in white cap), Jogs with Cuban youths along the Malecon Thursday morning.

Chávez: Castro is `almost jogging'

Fidel Castro has made a remarkable recovery.

According to his protégée, Hugo Chavez, Castro is doing so well, he is “almost jogging”

Chavez is also quoted in the Miami Herald as saying:

“We will have Fidel and we will have Raúl for a lot more time.''

''Lage told me that Fidel walked I don't know how many minutes yesterday,''

“He's walking more than me, almost jogging. Maybe he's walking while watching us.''

Just Last week Chavez told us that Castro was “battling for his life”

-----------------------

Growing up in Cuba, the thing that used to amaze me the most was that the true measure of a good revolutionary was his ability to swallow the lies hook line and sinker.

To a real revolutionary the truth was of no consequence. The truth was something to be overcome with revolutionary zeal and spirit. The truth was what Fidel said it was. What your intellect and your senses told you was wrong for only what Fidel told you was real.

Cuba became a cult, built on lies and absurdity where those who believed were told to believe some more and those who didn’t were eliminated, exiled or caged.

Then, you’re lucky enough to scape and come to a country where everyone is encouraged to find their own truth. But the Cult Leaders are still preaching. They come after our children with the false Gods and Icons of their demented cult of lies and hatred seeking even more converts. They come to you city, to your school.

It’s enough to make you puke.

Rats Abandon Sinking Ship?

Are the Rats abandoning the sinking ship?

First we get word that Fidel’s eldest son, Fidel Castro Diaz-Balart, is looking to jump ship to Chile. Fidelito, as he’s is known, was allowed to travel out of Cuba WITH his wife for the first time for a visit to Chile. I guess he was a flight risk. It has been reported that during the trip, he scouted out properties in Chile for a possible move.

But it gets interesting. CNN is reporting that Basque Separatists Terrorists, ETA, are looking to relocate their operations to Morales’ Bolivia from Havana.

Do they know all know something we don't or is it something simpler?

Bolivia's Morales denies ties to ETA

LA PAZ, Bolivia (AP) --
Bolivian President Evo Morales denied Tuesday that his government has any ties with the Basque separatist group ETA following a Spanish news report that the militant organization is seeking sanctuary in Bolivia.

A leading member of Morales' political party did, however, acknowledge meeting in June with Basque politicians who were reported to be members of ETA's banned
political wing.

"In institutional terms, in party terms, there is no relation with ETA," Morales told a group of international reporters Tuesday.

The Spanish newspaper El Correo had reported that a lawmaker from Morales' Movement Toward Socialism party visited the Basque heartland in June and met with members of Batasuna, ETA's political arm.

The lawmaker, Feliciano Vegamonte, did not respond to repeated attempts to reach him Tuesday.

El Correo said that with Cuban leader Fidel Castro ailing, ETA fears it could lose the lone country that offers it sanctuary. So it is looking toward Bolivia as a possible alternative. The paper quoted unnamed Spanish security officials as its sources.

While Morales and other members of his party have visited the Basque country "in the culture of dialogue," he said, "I don't believe that ETA was there at the meetings. No. Practically, I've got no relation."

One of the stumbling blocks in any formalization of relations between Cuba and the United States is Cuba’s open support for ETA, which landed on the US’s list of Terrorist Sponsor Nations.

If ETA is looking to leave, it’s not because they “fear” anything. These guys are terrorists. They instill fear for a living. It’s most likely because the Cuban regime has made it clear to them that they are no longer welcome.

Severing ties to ETA formally, will remove a stumbling block for any possible future negotiations with Washington.

Economic "Debate" in Cuba

Now that I predict that changes in Cuba are inevitable, here’s the totally opposite perspective.
It seems that the Cuban military who has been “running” the tourist industry under the direction of Raul since the 90’s has other ideas for Cuba’s (their) economy.

Of course, since they get to pilfer and skim the people’s money, they want no part of any privatization that would cut into their take, you know how mobsters are about things like that.

Cuban army weighs in on economic policy debate

HAVANA, Jan 23 (Reuters) - Cuba's armed forces, which run the Communist
country's most efficient companies, joined a nascent public debate on future economic policy on Tuesday and appeared to take a stance opposed to full free-market reforms.

Col. Amando Perez Betancourt, the head of the Cuban military's effort to make state-run companies more profitable, said profits, wages and productivity had been raised in more than 800 companies by applying methods known in Cuba as "perfeccionamiento empresarial" -- roughly translated as perfecting of the (state) company system.

"If you ask me what the most important task facing the state companies is, I would say it is better organization and the way to do that is through perfecting the state company system," Perez told the Communist Party newspaper Granma.

Col. Perez's comments contrasted with those of more reform-minded Cuban economists who believe greater opportunity for private initiative is the way
forward for Cuba as Fidel Castro fades slowly into the background.

Some Cuban economists believe that only by adopting China's model of a capitalist market under Communist political control, or at a minimum by decentralizing and developing private cooperatives in nonstrategic sectors, can internal production be improved.

'Perfeccionamiento empresarial' is not a free-market reform and it is not privatization. But it would benefit Cuba's economy to carry out the process fully," said Phil Peters, an expert on Cuba at the Lexington Institute in Virginia.

Col. Perez said productivity at more than 800 companies under the new anagement
system was 42.4 percent above that of other state companies and wages were 22.5
percent higher than average. Only 7 percent operated at a loss in 2006 compared with 38 percent in the economy as a whole.

"There is no question Raul wants improvements, but that does not mean he will go outside the existing system if he thinks it can work better," a Cuban economist said, asking not to be named.

Read Article Here

While it probably sounds like there is a “debate” about economic policy in Cuba, there isn’t.
There’s no way that the Cuban regime is going to privatize any of its bread and butter industries like tourism or agriculture. The two debate points are not mutually exclusive. The government will continue to run everything only more efficiently, and it will add small private businesses.

They will allow small family business to take economic pressure off society and give people a chance to make some convertible pesos. And these efforts will be taxed, so the government will get their cut.

The regime wins, the people stay the same.

Is Easing of Sanctions and Travel Restrictions In the Near Future?

Is America missing an opportunity to influence the outcome of the Cuban transition by continuing to isolate the island through travel restrictions and economic sanctions?

The congressmen that make up the House Cuba working group think so and said on Tuesday that they would propose legislation to do so, according to The Financial Times via MSNBC.

They claim that this is a “mainstream view” in congress which means the legislation would become law. If it does, the President would probably use his veto.

Crucial to the pending legislation, is the health of former Cuban dictator Fidel Castro. Castro delegated power to a group of rulers lead by his brother Raul.

The mood in Cuba is one of anxiey and desperation but there is always an expectation that there will be changes once Fidel dies. These expectations have been fueled in part by statements from Raul Castro saying among other things that he was fed up with excuses about the food and transportation situation on the island.

The new regime, by its own actions, has put itself in a position where it is going to have to deliver on some changes in order to gain some level of credibility and support from the population, especially the youth.

This is a dynamic that has never existed before in the US’ dealings with Cuba since they were dealing with Fidel, who didn’t care about the welfare of his people and would only negotiate to further his revolutionary delusions without the pressure of having to get some benefits for the Cuban people.

This time around , things are different, since the new regime needs to make some changes.

So it should be interesting.

The administration , like me , is holding out hope of some kind of a mass social upheaval to force some changes:

John Negroponte, director of national intelligence, said the Cuban "regime" was trying to create a "soft landing" while transitioning power to Raúl Castro. "We don't want to see that happen," he told the Senate intelligence committee. "But what is not known is whether people are holding back. Maybe we're not seeing the kind of ferment yet that one might expect to see once Mr Castro has definitively departed the scene."

This is not likely to happen.

Havana Radio Bemba

Havana’s Radio Bemba is broadcasting at Mega Watts lately, the signal is so strong that even tourist and the foreign press are getting the signal.

A sample of some of the Programming via Yahoo News:

"Some people have even said he has died, that they are conserving him and waiting for I don't know what, but I don't believe that," said Felix Perez, a 35-year-old waiter.

A 28-year old nurse, who would only identify herself as Josefina said rumors circulating in a Havana hospital say "he is very thin, but is alright and spending his time on the telephone, giving orders and driving the doctors crazy."

Even the name of the radio station is getting a mention in the American press:

In the absence of news, many Cubans rely on what is known here as Radio Bemba --
word-of-mouth that circulates in the streets.

"There are many stories going around, some people say Castro doesn't show himself because he has lost his beard," said Jorge Torres, a visitor from Guatemala.

What I’ve been able to garner from the Miami Radio Bemba is that Fidel is bed ridden and emaciated. He’s not able to speak because he’s heavily sedated and continues to receive nutrients intravenously.

A couple of physicians have said that once a person is in this condition its only of matter of time until major organs start to fail.

"A Laugher of A Eulogy."

I was expecting to GAG when reading this "Eulogy "from Castro biographer,Georgie Ann Geyer. I wound up laughing.

The Title, EVEN ON HIS WAY OUT, CASTRO IMPOSES HIS SINGULAR WILL, suggest the common tune that Fidel fans have been humming lately. Basically that he had the last laugh on the evil empire and the Miami Mafia by thwarting their plans to rebuild Cuba in their “own image”.

But…..

WASHINGTON -- There is little question that Fidel Castro, the "immortal revolutionary," is dying. But being Fidel, he is not doing it in the way most people would expect.

He is not doing it on time. Since he is now 80, Cuban-Americans in Miami have had years to await his ascension to revolutionary communist heaven. Surely his 80th birthday in August would have been a neat time to say, "Adios, companeros!"

Neither is he doing it on the fair and square. The "renowned Spanish surgeon" rushed to Cuba in the last few weeks, Jose Luis Garcia Sabrido, an intestinal specialist, turns out to be a personal friend of the Castro family. He was called in to give an upbeat report -- Castro does not have cancer, he attested -- apparently to buy some time for the transition to Raul Castro.

Once Fidel does die, there will be plenty of time to look forward. But for now, as he hovers in that half light that often incongruously clarifies, let us take a last look at this exceptional, ultimately destructive man.

There’s this:

As his biographer, I think of the man I interviewed five times and knew many years ago, in 1966 in Cuba. Oh, Fidel is surely the big, earthy, sensual, cold, authoritarian man that most people think of, but he is much more. Essentially, Fidel is incoherent. In my many long interviews with him (they would start at midnight and end at 9 in the morning), in Spanish, he never moved rationally from one subject to another. One minute it was Soviet aid, the next minute his new yogurt, the next his new brand of cows, the next the revolutions in Africa and Central America. Afterward, I'd always wonder, "Where's the lead?"

He tried all kinds of environmental changes, believing himself to be, along with everything else, a kind of rainmaker. He mixed breeds of cows, but the new breed failed. He planted coffee trees all around Havana, and they failed, too, because the soil was wrong for them. He built pyramids for special crops, and they withered. Behind his back, they called him the "dictator of the cows."

And this:

But at one thing, Fidel -- this angry son of an angry Gallego from Galicia in the north of Spain who came to Cuba to fight for Spain in 1898 -- was unusually adept. All things military were like second breaths to him. He had an uncanny instinct for danger, a polished personal radar for enemies closing in, and a hatred so ferocious it burned like a banshee's flame against the United States, whom he saw always and ever as Cuba's colonizer.

Concluding in this:

Today's world looks to pragmatic leaders, to economists, to men and women who know what to do. Doubtless, Cuba will fall to less interesting and more bourgeois people like this when Fidel finally does die -- if, of course, he does.

More

And that’s from a fan , someone who relishes Castro’s blind hatred for Americans and his 50 year crusade to “stick it to the man”.

So the pattern appears to be Fidel, the firebrand, the revolutionary, the genius who failed at everything but he was a thorn on the side of the US to the end...gotta love that in a dictator.

I was expecting a little more.

Spanish Government Not Waiting on Fidel To Recover

The Spanish Secretary of State for Latin America, Trinidad Jiménez, is on a Central American tour which will take her to Costa Rica, Guatemala and Panama.

In an interview with Europa Press, Jiménez said that she is not waiting for Fidel Castro’s health to improve to visit the island.

She pointed out that Raúl Castro is the new leader of Cuba and that Span was waiting to see how things would evolve.

She added that with the succession, the power had been “delegated” and that it was up to the Cuban People to determine its own future.

Obviously if Fidel “delegates” his “omnipotence” to a group of his choosing, it is not the Cuban people who chose their ruler, but Fidel.

The Socialist Spanish government’s position is based more on the profits for Spanish firms that are heavily invested on the Island than by some ultraistic self-determination of Nations philosophy.

Late last year when the Spanish opposition Party , Partido Popular, introduced a resolution that would work towards supporting the democratization of Cuba. The Zapatero Government opposed it.

At the time Trinidad Jiménez said that the important thing in Cuba was to prevent “instability, clashes and insure the changes come about in the agreed manner”

She reiterated that Spanish firms had been doing business in Cuba for years and that if the new Cuban leader would open up the country to the outside , it would mean new business opportunities for these firms and others in the future.---PROFITS

PSA

Be careful.

There's an e-mail circulating around with "Fidel Castro Dead" as a subject that's spreading a virus.

Via Drudge Report:

A spam e-mail with messages including "Fidel Castro dead" and "Saddam Hussein safe and sound" contains a virus which has infected thousands of computers, Spain's Association of Internauts has said.

With speculation rife about the Cuban leader's health, the association said that a computer would be infected by the virus if the recipient opened the message.

"The virus is affecting thousands of computers," the association said Monday.

The first thing that comes to mind when reading this is:

Why don't WE have an Association of Internauts?!?!?

Vamos A Cuba

South Florida is ready to invade Cuba.

No, not Alpha 66, Not Brigada 2506 not even Commando F-4.

It's the Capitalists.

The Miami Herald has a series of articles informing us of just some of the different plans in the works to go South and make a buck.

Firms small and large prepare for business with Cuba

One industry that the Cuban government is already pushing is oil and gas exploration. Cuba boasts untapped reserves of both oil and natural gas, and both
commodities could be big revenue earners for the cash-strapped island. But they
also require significant capital investment and technical know-how, which foreign companies have.

Housing is another sector that is in dire need of investment, both to rehabilitate existing stocks and build new housing. Experts estimate Cubans need some 50,000 new homes.

U.S. tourism operators are also eyeing a brand new market that is physically easy and cheap for Americans to access, especially from South Florida.

More

Trio of architects draft plan to preserve flavor of old Havana

If Cuba's economy opens up, it is widely expected that private developers will descend en masse -- not only to try to make a financial killing but to address an acute lack of housing in Cuba. Last year the National Housing Institute report said the country needs to build 50,000 houses for a decade to meet its housing shortage.

In the process, a city admired for quaint neighborhoods and inspired architecture could be radically changed for the worse.

More


Wealth of talent has foreigners eager to pounce on unknown artists

Most well-known Cuban artists already have representation deals with overseas art galleries and record labels, but that doesn't mean U.S.-based entrepreneurs aren't preparing to storm the island to hunt for undiscovered talent and works in the event of an end to the embargo.

''The potential transformation is huge,'' he says

More

Florida Keys tourism officials prepare for the day Cuba opens

From concerns of a clogged A1A highway as tourists flock to Havana-bound ferries to the use of Cuban migrants to alleviate the Keys' labor shortage, the island chain predicts big changes should Washington open up commerce with the communist nation.

Virginia Panico, president of the Key West Chamber of Commerce, met with government tourism officials in Havana in May 2005. Joined by a delegation of Chamber members (the group delivered medical supplies under an exclusion of
the travel ban for humanitarian missions), Panico said they discussed luring vacationers to both destinations.

''We told them we are prepared to do pre- and post-packaging -- three nights here, two nights there, or vice versa,'' she said.

The Keys' plan for an open Cuba also envisions piggy-backing on the island's newfound popularity. Among the ideas: a ''Keys Plus Cuba'' section on the website, tours of historic homes in both Key West and Havana and marketing joint fishing tournaments under the slogan ``So Much to Catch Up On.''

More



Castro II is probably hitting the bottle already. The Chinese model maybe...More like the Hong Kong Model.

Silence

The Post Fidel US strategy is apparently not shaping up quite as the US had hoped.

It has been my belief that once Castro dies and Castro II formally takes the reigns, there would be an international US lead effort to refuse to accept a royal succession and call for democratic changes on the island.

BUT as we learn today from this article from The Mercury News, some democracies around the globe are balking at chance of helping another nation join the club.

Spain with its vast investments in Cuba, is reluctant to side with the US and use its influence within the EU to call for change in Cuba:

With Havana seemingly on the edge of change, Rice hoped the European Union would issue a statement urging Cuba to adopt democratic reforms. As the leader on Latin American affairs within the EU, Madrid had the clout to make such a declaration happen, diplomats familiar with the outreach say.

The Spaniards declined.

Why? World leaders are scared to anger Havana! So they are waiting on the sidelines.

We are not without friends in the European Union, however:

The Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Slovakia and the three Baltic states are pushing for a EU pronouncement, the diplomats say.

Hungary's ambassador to Washington, Andras Simonyi, said Europe is "edging" towards a common position on Cuba, which he said is a "special case" because of its
history and its "present situation."

"Hungary has a clear view that we have been through a democratic change and, of course, we would like to see as many countries as possible" take a democratic path.

The two newest members to the EU, Bulgaria and Romania will also be expected to join in any democratization efforts for Cuba , since they too suffered through totalitarian communist tyrannies.

In our hemisphere, things are more complicated. Other than Costa Rica, all other countries that are already aligned to Havana are keeping quiet. Canada is viewed as a possible negotiator between Washington and Havana. Brazil, whose president, Lula, is a Castro groupie has recently shocked me with statements indicating its offer to possibly help in a transition towards democracy in Cuba.

In Latin America, most big democracies like Argentina and Brazil have long held that they cannot interfere in the internal affairs of another country. Mexico's new conservative President Felipe Calderon has said he will seek to promote democracy in the region, but so far has not mentioned Cuba.

....

It’s baffling how the World’s most successful democracies, which of course have all signed every Human Rights treaty known to man, don’t comment on the lack of freedom in Cuba and remain silently and conspicuously neutral out of fear.

The only time they use human rights and Cuba in the same sentence is when they are whining about the imprisoned terrorists at Guantanamo.

“The hottest places in hell are reserved for those who in times of great moral crises maintain their neutrality”

Economic Reforms "Debated" In Cuba

The Cuban regime realizes that if it doesn’t make some changes soon, things are going to get ugly.

The population is young and disenchanted in their parent’s “revolution”. All they have ever known is sacrifice, misery and empty speeches and slogans.

The Regime needs to make some reforms to alleviate some of the social pressures.

The Miami Herald has a piece on the “debate” supposedly occurring within the regime.

Obviously, the decisions have already been made and they’re just waiting until after the funeral to announce the reforms.

''There is a debate,'' said Rafael Hernández, the editor of the quarterly Cuban magazine Temas, or Issues, and one of the country's leading intellectuals.

Hernández said the debate taking place at different levels of Cuba's government and society focuses on proposals such as decentralizing the highly centralized economy, forming cooperatives in areas outside of agriculture, and creating openings for more small and medium-size private enterprises.

''In Cuba, no IMF formula is foreseeable,'' said Hernández, referring to the international Monetary Fund and its free-market economic policies.

The primary concern for the regime is to keep political control of the society so any changes will be gradual at first and will have built-in mechanisms to guarantee that the regime gets its cut of the profits.

Recently, the Wall Street Journal had an article on the expected economic reforms on the island.

Another proponent of reforms, prominent Cuban economist Pedro Monreal, recently told The Wall Street Journal that Cuba needs an overhaul to inject motivation and innovation into the economy although the direction of the debate is difficult to follow. ''It's a kind of black-box process,'' he said

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Cuba flirted with free market reforms, (out of necessity), by allowing the use of Dollars and for small family businesses that could employ workers. These steps, "created a bifurcated economy that gives some people access to hard currency and others not” according to Philip Peters, Cuba analyst at the Lexington Institute, a think tank in Arlington, Va.

This infuriated Fidel, the egalitarian, who put and end to fledging businesses as soon as he was able.

Article Here

Remittances

You send cash to Cuba?

Well, here’s some facts and conjecture on remittances.

I say conjecture because when it comes to Cuba, analysis most times becomes educated guesswork.

Here’s an article from the L.A.Times that wades into the murky waters of remittances:

Cuba's dependence on dollars leads to a divide, analysts say

Some Excerpts:

By some estimates, such remittances are now more important to the Cuban economy than tourism or sugar. Hard-line opponents of Cuba's Communist government contend that fees and markups on the money are more help to Fidel Castro's regime than it is to its actual recipients, providing the government with a source of easy money and allowing it to avoid market reforms in the 15 lean years since the defeat of its Soviet benefactors.But the truth may not be quite so simple. Experts say dollars sent from abroad also cleave this officially classless society of 11 million people into two parts, those who receive them and those who don't, undermining Castro's regime.

………………………………………………..

Dollarization "created a bifurcated economy that gives some people access to hard currency and others not. And until you get broad-based growth, that inequality won't be solved," said Phil Peters, Cuba analyst at the Lexington Institute, a think tank in Arlington, Va.

…………………………………………………
Two differing theories on the importance of remittances to the Cuban Economy:

But Paolo Spadoni, an expert on the Cuban economy and a political science professor at Rollins College in Winter Park, Fla., says U.S. visitors to the island routinely circumvent those restrictions. Many send cash via third-country agencies or through an underground network of "mules," or fee-charging couriers.Judging by the booming TRD sales, remittances must have topped $1 billion a year by 2000 and grown to at least $1.3 billion in 2004, Spadoni said. Although it is difficult to determine whether there has been a significant drop-off since then, Spadoni said that dollar-store income rose almost 7% last year."In net terms, remittances are the biggest source of foreign exchange for the country, more than tourism and sugar," he said.

The Cuban government has to invest about 80 cents for every dollar it earns from tourism, now a $2-billion-a-year industry, whereas remittances arrive with minimal state outlays.But John Kavulich, senior policy advisor to the U.S.-Cuba Trade and Economic Council in New York, estimates that the value and influence of remittances to Cuba is far lower. A veteran analyst of centralized economies, Kavulich says Havana's economic data are inflated.

He estimates the volume of remittances at no more than $450 million and says their influence on the overall economy is minimal compared with billions in aid from China and Venezuela. But for average Cubans, remittances are far more tangible.

Rest of the Article here

XXI Century Propaganda

Juventud Rebelde, another of the Regime's propaganda tentacles has taken to imitating the free press by conducting polls and investigative reporting investigations.

The XXI century propaganda is then fed to the free press agencies which eat it up as if it were real journalism.

One such project was an investigatigation of government run businesses, concluding that there's more to the lousy service than the Cuban workers. They wound up blaming the system and said that they were going to have some economists study it.

Of course ,anything that gets published on the island is propaganda, giving the regime cover to make the changes they want to make and pretending that its what the people wanted.

Their gameplan is almost a century old now, and we know all the plays.

Newsweek has taken a poll conducted by "Juventud Rebelde" seriously and build a nice little piece around it.

The regime knows that it needs to make changes. Like we said yesterday, there are 11,000,000 expecting it.

So this "poll" will provide a glimpse as to where the new leadership expects to take Cuba.

It’s a touchingly quaint wish list for a modern world. Freedom to travel. Retail computer stores. A country free from economic hardship—and one that doesn’t give preferential access to those using foreign currency. But for Cuba’s increasingly disaffected and restless youth, this is the stuff of their dreams and aspirations.

In any other country, a survey asking young people what kind of nation they want to see in the year 2020 would hardly be fodder for the pundits. But in a nation that rarely gives its youth a voice—and seldom divulges the results of government opinion polls—the decision to publish a recent survey in the country’s official youth newspaper took on its own significance.

there's this gem:

That has not escaped the attention of the regime’s top leadership. “These young people have more information and more consumer expectations than those at the start of the revolution,” acknowledged Foreign Minister Felipe Pérez Roque in an unusually candid speech in 2005. “Sometimes I am sure that when you speak of free health care and education, many of them say, ‘Oh please, don’t come to me with that same old speech.’”

and this:

“The regime knows it has a time bomb on its hands,” says Rolando Rodríguez Lobaina of the Cuban Democratic Youth Movement. “It has no confidence in a
transfer of power to these young people.”

=

but their is hope for the lefties as evidenced by Castro apologist , Julia Sweig , wishful thinking.

Young Cubans may appear sullen and thoroughly dissatisfied with the status quo in their country. But their political apathy and inaction to date may reflect a frank recognition they would be no match for the repressive machinery of an entrenched totalitarian government on the streets of Cuba. “I don’t really think youth can be a source of major instability,” says the CFR’s Sweig. “Providing young people with a sense that they have a stake in Cuba’s future is a huge challenge on Raúl’s plate, but the regime pretty much has a handle on that.” Perhaps the real test will only come when both Castro brothers are gone and their heirs will have to establish their own claims to legitimacy in the eyes of Cuba’s youth.

Young people in Cuba are brave but not foolish. they bide their time. I would like to remind everyone of the tremendous amount of courage that it takes to set out in the open sea to seek freedom and opportunity. Just because they don't want to commit suicide doesn't mean they aren't going to take a chance. They are willing to wait till after the funeral, but changes need to start or things will get ugly.

More

Radio Bemba Chávez Dice:

El Presidente de la Republica Socialista Bolivariana Venezolana, Hugo Chávez, ha declarado en un discurso, durante un acto de condecoración en la Asamblea Legislativa de Río de Janeiro, Brasil que su amigo y mentor, el déspota cubano, Fidel Castro Ruz, "está dando una batalla por la vida"

Chávez añadió que "Fidel está de nuevo en la Sierra Masmierda"

Corrección: Sierra Maestra

Castro Fans Prematurely Celebrate "The Succession"

The leftie fans of the only totally non-free regime in the Americas and the second worst freest economy in the world are gleefully proclaiming Fidel’s final victory over the evil empire and the Miami Mafia:

An uneventful succession from one tyrant to the next.

These rebels without a clue have always admired Castro because he stood up to the big, bad US of A.

Somehow, the fact that Castro was like an annoying mite in the feathers of the Mighty American Eagle, justified 48 years of suffering for the Cuban people.

These leftist intellectuals are now prematurely celebrating the percieved survival of the tropical worker’s paradise and thus the continued enslavement of eleven million people.

Case in point is this AP article by Anita Snow:

Cuba's post-Castro life already begun

By ANITA SNOW, Associated Press

Fidel Castro's enemies in exile have long predicted that the end of his reign in Cuba would bring dancing in the streets, a mass exodus and a rapid transition to a U.S.-style democracy and market economy.

But almost six months after Castro stepped aside due to illness, the transition has occurred — and with none of those changes. Cubans are calmly going about their business, and there has been no northbound rush of migrants, and no signs of impending policy shifts.

Even if Castro recovers fully and returns to public life, officials no longer insist that he will return to power. Why would he? Cuban officials already have pulled off what their enemies have long said would be impossible: They have built a post-Castro communist system.

About the only thing different in Cuba is that its government, instead of being led by a single person, is handled by a group. Raul Castro heads a collective leadership guided by the same Communist Party his older brother extolled during a nearly half-century in power.

"These guys know what they are doing. They are prepared to lead Cuba without Fidel," said Marifeli Perez-Stable of the Inter-American Dialogue, a Washington think tank. "The country, in the short run, is not going to collapse."

And this

But Cubans recognize that any changes will be gradual, and "will be orchestrated by those whom Fidel has long been grooming," Julia E. Sweig of the New York-based Council on Foreign Relations wrote in the current issue of Foreign Affairs magazine.

"Washington, too, must accept that there is no alternative to those already running post-Fidel Cuba," she wrote.

Whole Article Here

First of all, nothing in Cuba is at seems on the surface. What the Cubans on the street are going to do once Fidel is buried is anybody’s guess. And rest assured that those of us on this side of the Florida Straights are not going to sit around with our arms crossed.

Secondly, If the new collective leadership is so well entrenched in power and the US is a spectator on the sidelines, then why is it that they don’t tell the Cuban people what Castro’s condition and prognosis is?

If “these guys know what they’re doing” why are they acting like a bunch of scared school girls hiding behind Fidel’s Adidas track suit?

Pretending that the Cuban nomenklatura is a cohesive and united entity is wishful thinking for those who would love to see Castrism perpetuated for generations to come.

There are ELEVEN MILLION people in that island that expect change once Fidel meets his maker. They better get it or things are going to get ugly.

Beauty, Brains and Braun

This Cubanita interviewed both Castro and Pinochet and asked the tough questions

Here she asks the Tyrant about Human Rights.

She makes him squirm. Looks like he's going to bust a gut.

Thanks to Asha Nair at Castrianism for the link.

I saw this show live and I couldn't believe my eyes/ears.

``Within the Revolution, Everything. Outside the Revolution, Nothing.''

"Within the Revolution, Everything. Outside the Revolution, Nothing.''

Fidel's infamous totalitarian creed.

The guiding words to his orgy of intolerance and oppression.

Granmierda, which is well "within the revolution", published a letter by The Cuban government's union of writers and artists , also well "within the revolution" on Thursday. In the published statement they backed intellectuals who protested the recent TV , (Cuban TV is also "Within the Revolution"), reappearance of ex- government officials who, for and "Within the Revolution", used to censor intellectuals and artists. BUT they reminded the intellectuals that"Outside the Revolution Nothing", stills stands.

The "intellectuals", (you have to chuckle at a classless society that has a class called "intellectuals"), are upset over the recent TV appearances of Luis Pavon Tamayo, Jorge Serguera and others who are blamed for the "gray five years"('71-'76).

The Intellectuals , who all work well "Within the Revolution" and enjoy perks that the common Cuban on the street doesn't, are afraid that their going to loose their prized perks and relatively comfortable lifestyle . Obviously,if there's a tightening of what's considered "within", it will leave some of them "without".

The farcical "debate" on the pages of Granma is just a staged ploy to show how the "reporters" are writing about the things that affect the average Cuban.

Just, last week Rolando Alfonso Borges , "chief ideologue" of the party, urged "reporters" to do just that.

The farce is being staged "Within the Revolution" to put a more tolerant facade on the regime of CastroII. The international press gushes at covering stories where it "seems" that Cuba is moving towards a "freer" press, while they ignore the regime's responsibility in the death of Miguel Valdés Tamayo .

More in Today's Herald

Another Triumph of the Revolution

Freedom in the World 2007, a survey of worldwide political rights and civil liberties is out.

..... and.... Survey Says:

Out of the 35 countries in the Americas, 25 are Free (71 percent), 9 are Partly Free (26 percent), and one­ Cuba­ is Not Free (3 percent). In Latin America in particular, the past year was marked by an impressive number of competitive and fair elections in relatively new democracies experiencing social turbulence. Haiti, meanwhile, joined the ranks of electoral democracies, and its score improved from Not Free to Partly Free.

The only country if the Americas that is Not free. Not free. Not free.

US Military Excited About Possible Mass Exodus

Hey, I can mess with Headlines too!

The Sun Sentinel is continuing its Public Service of allaying the Cubanophobia that has gripped South Florida since July 31.

U.S. scouting out Gitmo sites in case of mass exodus after Castro death

GUANTANAMO BAY NAVAL BASE, Cuba -- If Cubans flee in droves when Fidel
Castro dies, those intercepted at sea will likely wind up at this base where nearly 400 men captured in the war on terror are held, creating ``an incredible challenge'' for U.S. forces, the base commander said.

Military officials say they have begun planning for a possible mass exodus, scouting potential sites to detain migrants in tents while keeping them far from the prisoners suspected of links to al-Qaida or the Taliban.

.... And...

In past periods of turmoil, thousands of Cubans have taken to the sea. The U.S. Coast Guard has tried to intercept them before they reach land. Under the so-called wet-foot-dry-foot policy, Cubans intercepted at sea are generally sent back while those who reach U.S. soil are allowed to stay.

More

The US' primary concern as it relates to Fidel's departure and the ensuing changes in Cuba has been to maintain "stability" and the "status quo".

Chinese Model, Vietnamese Model, Russian Model, Iraqui Bloodbath Model, it's all good as long as there's no Cubans washing on up shore.

Cubanophobia

Reporters Without Clues?

I confess I don’t know how the newspaper business works.

…and most bloggers like to pick on reporters and what they write.

I believe Journalism is an honorable profession, a calling if you will. In a country like ours reporters have the luxury to be a little more frivolous, but when they have to, they hold the elected officials and the bad guys’ feet to the fire.

NOBODY gets away with anything.

That’s great.

BUT

This is the second time this week where the title of an article makes me drop my jaw in disbelief.

Who picks the titles? The Reporter, The editor? I honestly don’t know.

The first article that sent my head spinning was

“Cuban seems to urge freer press”

That title has absolutely nothing to do with reality and even less to do with what the article was about.

Ok. Today there’s this:

Cubans remain subdued about Castro's health
Cubans know that Fidel Castro may die soon, but they are keeping their reactions private.

No Kidding!
Subdued? You tend to be "subdued" when there's hundreds of AK-47's that can be pointed at you at a second's notice.

What do they think that people in a totalitarian country are going to do? Jump for joy?

The article itself is informative and very objective. It even quotes prominent dissidents, which I applaud, no, I give a standing ovation to:

''In Cuba, lots of people have seen or heard about the news reports, but comments are kept at a whisper,'' Laura Pollán, the wife of a jailed dissident, said in a telephone interview from Havana.

``People realize that [Castro] is in bad shape and wonder what will happen when he dies.''''There is a lot of uncertainty and anxiety but, as of yet, reaction does not go beyond that,'' Pollán said

''The most relevant thing is not the [El País] report itself, but the fact that the government hasn't released a single word,'' said Elizardo Sánchez, a human-rights activist in Havana. ``They don't feel obligated to inform the public.''

So what's with the titles over at the Herald?

Radio Chavez Plays New Tune

Venezuela's Radio Bemba is playing a different tune this morning.

Yesterday's tune:

I'm not a doctor. I'm not at Fidel's bedside but he's not in a serious condition as some say, nor does he have cancer,"

He said (to me) it's a slow recovery process not without risk. He's 80 years old,"

Today:

From Bloomberg

Jan. 17 (Bloomberg) -- Cuban President Fidel Castro's health is in a ``delicate situation,'' Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said after a Spanish newspaper reported Castro was in serious condition following three surgeries on his large intestine.

``There was a serious complication,'' Chavez, a key ally, said in a televised speech tonight in Caracas. ``He's been in a delicate situation. We ask God for Fidel's recovery.''

``Some are saying Fidel has died,'' Chavez said. ``Well, everyone dies some day.''

I like the second tune a lot better, but the radio station has got to go.

Cuba Almost Wins Misery Index

The Heritage foundation just came out with its 2007 Index of Economic Freedom.

The index measures and ranks 161 countries across 10 specific freedoms, things like tax rates and property rights.

The socialist paradise created by Fidel ranked 160.

Only North Korea had less economic freedom than Cuba, but Fidel only started destroying Cuba 48 years ago and he had a thriving economy.

For those who like to compare dictators:

Chile, now benefiting from the economic model instituted by Pinochet, lead Latin America in the ranks, coming in at number 11.

The When?

Back when I was a young student and they were teaching me to write a story, the old professors would always harp on five questions that every article had to answer. What?, Why?, When?, Where, and Who?

Because the Where was in Cuba the four other W’s have been sketchy at best, but now we know more:

Who?: Fidel Castro Ruz, Tyrant, Dictator, Despot.

What?: Impeding Death due to at least 3 failed operations to treat either diverticulitis or Colon Cancer (same procedure)

Where?: Havana, Cuba

Why? He decided not to have a colostomy which caused complications.

When?: We have all assumed the first operation occurred in late July, probably the 27th.

Hmmm.?

Everybody is assuming that Castro had his initial operation on the 26th or 27th of July and handed power over on the evening of the 31st, July.

BUT ( I told you, there’s always a but with Cubans)

Rumors about Castro, started way before the 31st. They actually started around July 11 with a rumor circulated on Wall Street that Castro had died.

Back in July, we were all eagerly awaiting whether Castro would show up as planned at a MERCOSUR meeting in Argentina. He did. He had a confrontation with a Cuban reporter, went back to Cuba and then was felled by the diverticulitis.

Diverticulitis is not a disease that springs up over night to cause near-fatal intestinal bleeding. There are usually other milder symptoms starting at around age 60.

The rumors I’ve heard, albeit 2nd , 3rd …20th , hand, shed light on a possibly different timeline of Castro’s surgeries.

The rumors that he had colon cancer and had a “colostomy” before he went to Argentina sometime in the late spring early summer of 2006 were all over Miami and the internet.

It is possible that Castro’s initial surgery for diverciculitis occurred between April and July 2006.

The surgery that caused Castro to eventually give up power would have been the one that included the peritonitis and could have occurred on 26-28 July. At that time stress was blamed for his intestinal bleeding. Stress could have, in a patient his age, caused the stitches from the original operation to fail.

Smaller operations to clean and drain the wound could have occurred in between.

The third and more serious operation, would have occurred around 19 Dec also coinciding with Sabrido’s visit and more rumors of his death. This is the operation where they removed the intestine and installed the Spanish prosthesis for the bile duct inflammation.

Given the lack of facts about Castro’s condition, we all have to rely on conjecture and assumptions.

So, I’m going to adopt my new proposed timeline.

I choose to. Here’s why:

Castro was well on his way to recovery from his original surgery his colon was firmly attached to his rectum.

The Report of the Commission for Assistance to a Free Cuba came out. Stress UP.

He goes to Argentina to get his butt kissed by his leftist cronies.

Castro Killer Quest que cest ?

Then he met Juan Manuel Cao a Cuban born reporter who did what no reporter had ever done before, he called Castro out in public, really stressing him out. So much so that after he gave a couple of speeches on the 26th in his native Oriente, his stitches popped spewing crap all over his innards.

I like that version much better.

It changes the Why? A little bit. The truth did him in.

The Why

(courtesy of Cuban American Blog El Confeti)

What "Experts" Are Saying

Meanwhile, back in Broward, the Sun Sentinel went out to find some experts that gave them some hope that their favorite dictator would come back and continue to oppress Cuba and agree with the Regime's official position.

It is not known how many calls they had to make to find a couple of Pollyanna doctors, but bless them, they did.

Specialists speculate on Castro's health

Dr. Floriano Marchetti, an assistant professor at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine's division of colon and rectal surgery, said Tuesday he has no way of confirming the information in the El Pais article, but if it is true, it is possible that Castro can recover."It's a messy situation, and quite serious, but this per se is not malignant, and potentially he can survive this,"

Marchetti said.The newspaper report said the 80-year-old Castro's health problems began during the summer with severe bleeding caused by a condition called diverticulitis, which occurs when pouches or weakened spots in the intestines become infected, perforated, or blood vessels there burst.

"Castro would definitely qualify as critically ill," said Dr. Roshini Rajapaksa, a gastroenterologist at New York University School of Medicine, referring to the report.

The Article has a very simple explanation of Castro's ailment here.

Don't worry Tribune, the Havana Bureau is safe.

Beating a Dying Horse

Not to beat a dying horse, but………


While the Cubans captive on the island are filled with anxiety and uncertainty about their future , here’s some what they are treate d to in the Cuban “Press”

Posada Case: the momentof truth has arrivedThe international media has reported that on January 11, 2007, the United States government, which for more than 18 months has been protecting international terrorist Luis Posada Carriles, has been obliged to indict him on charges of fraud and lying when applying for U.S. citizenship.

New U.S. defense secretary in KabulKABUL, January 16 (PL).—Robert Gates, the new U.S. defense secretary, has arrived in this capital to examine the uncontrollable resistance actions and the general instability in this nation with the Afghan administration and military

Rafael Correa greets Fidel and wishes him a prompt recoveryQUITO, January 14.—The president-elect of Ecuador, Rafael Correa, sent greetings to President Fidel Castro and wished him a speedy recovery, at the end of a meeting with Carlos Lage, vice president of the Cuban Council of State.

BUT what am I thinking? This is the INTERNET edition. Cubans don’t have access to it. They get a 7 or 8 page rag.

Their daily ration of toilet paper.

Dissemination of the Truth of Cuba Continues

Did you read what Granma had to say about Castro's illness?

Did you read the official government response to allegations that Castro is "gravely" ill and has been unsuccessfully operated on at least three times?

No, of course not.

While all this was going on Cuban reporters were being taught how to be "up to the great transformations and needs of the Revolution. The people must see its problems reflected in our media with greater frequency."

Now, what event in the life of Juan Q. Cuban is more a problem than the health of the man who's every whim has been the law for 48 long years?

They can't report. They don't know anything. They're mushroom propagandists. They're kept in the dark and fed crap and rumor has it that there's a fresh supply of that in Havana these days and newspapers that are only good for wiping it off.

Hail the Humbugs

Today, The Miami Herald brings us a fantasy about Cuban “reporters.”

Even the title of the article is somewhat Orwellian:

Cuban seems to urge freer press

Cuban? Mark Cuban, the Owner of the Mavs? A Cuban dissident, perhaps?

No, the Cuban in question is “Cuba’s chief ideologue”, Rolando Alfonso Borges, who heads the “Ideology Department of the Communist Party's Central Committee”.

Borges(r)

Let’s try to get past that there’s actually an Ideology Department of the Communist Party's Central Committee.(I know it’s hard, but let’s)

What did the “chief ideologue” actually say?

He called for:

the ''dissemination of the truth of Cuba,''

Ahh! “The truth of Cuba”. Not the TRUTH, but The truth “of Cuba”, as defined by the “Truth Department of the Communist Party's Central Committee.”?

AND Mr. Chief Ideologue also called for greater access to the Internet.

Hmm?…In a country where owning a computer is a crime. OK.

BUT: (there’s always a but. It’s a Cuban thing, Butts are to Cubans ass… But, I digress….)

But he also classified journalism as ''a weapon against imperialist humbugs'' and said that the news media must act ''with and for the Revolution,'' a long-standing criterion that prevents state-controlled press from being too critical.

So…..Why should we care about this article?………..

Basically, the regime wants reporters to go out on the internet and try to block the tsunami of truth that is drowning their propaganda with bigger and better sandbags full of lies: “Truth of Cuba”.

Free Cubans have taken to the internet to dispel the lies and fallacious notions that Castro and his minions have spread into cyberspace. AND it has worked.

This meeting in Havana was a warning to Cuban “journalists”, (propagandists), that they are not doing a good enough job at lying and that they better get busy.

It is the second time in as many moths that the Cuban regime has admitted that it is losing the information war to the Free Cubans and the Worldwide New Media . And now, the World Mainstream press is starting to turn on them too. Late last year, Abel Prieto, Cuba’s Culture Minister, (no he’s not like the Cuban Miss Manners, he chooses what Cubans get to listen to on the radio station) admitted:

"It would be a delusion to think we could hide that torrent of information," he insists, referring to anti-Castro websites. "The only possibility is to beat them with a better concept of life."

Talk about Desperation and White Flags.

The Herald quotes its sister publication to the South, Granma:

In an article Sunday, the Communist Party daily Granma said that Cuba's journalists must be ``up to the great transformations and needs of the Revolution. The people must see its problems reflected in our media with greater frequency.''

''To this end,'' Granma added, ``we demand investigation, richness of language and creativity, with the concomitant professional and political responsibility.''

That means: Write about how screwed up everything is because of the Yankee Imperialist Embargo and the Miami Mafia.

Read the Article here. It also quotes real journalist “Hector Palicios who was released from jail last month. Talk about JOURNALISTS. He sets them straight.

Why you would quote anything coming form a country with an “Ideology Department of the Communist Party's Central Committee” who owns a newspaper that goes by “the Official Organ of Cuba’s Communist Party” is beyond me, but I guess you’ve got fill the newspaper up with something.

Mi verso al valiente agrada:

Mi verso, breve y sincero,

Es del vigor del acero

Con que se funde la espada

The Cuban Patient II

The news from Spain continues to flow downhill for Castro.

This morning we learned that Castro underwent 3 failed operations and as I surmised yesterday the "zipper" invented by Dr. Sabrido had to be used.

Castro's condition serious, Spanish newspaper reports

From the Boston Globe:

Castro, 80, suffered a serious infection that worsened to peritonitis, the newspaper said in today's editions. It cited two medical sources at the Madrid hospital where a surgeon who visited Castro in December works.

Castro's prognosis is "very serious" and he is being fed intravenously, the paper said.
Diverticulitis is the inflammation of pouch-like bulges in the intestinal wall. Peritonitis is an infection of the lining of the abdominal cavity.

A first operation to extract part of Castro's large intestine and reconnect the colon was a failure and the link broke, releasing feces into the abdomen that caused another peritonitis, the newspaper reported.

A second operation to clean and drain the infected area and perform a colostomy also failed, the paper said. Castro underwent a third operation to implant a Korean-made prosthesis, but it did not work and was replaced by one brought from Spain.

More Here

ABC News says he Tyrant is "Grave":

In a report published on its Web site, El Pais said: "A grave infection in the large intestine, at least three failed operations and various complications have left the Cuban dictator, Fidel Castro, laid up with a very grave prognosis."

The recovery from the first operation, in which part of his large intestine was extracted and the colon was connected to the rectum, did not go well. The
link broke and he released feces into the abdomen that caused another peritonitis, the report said.

A second operation to clean and drain the infected area also failed, the paper said. He was then hit with inflammation of the bile duct, an illness which has a 80 percent mortality rate, el Pais said. A prosthesis made in South Korea was implanted and failed and later was replaced with one made in Spain.

El Pais said that in December, when Garcia Sabrido visited, Castro had an abdominal wound that was leaking more than a pint of fluids a day, causing "'a severe loss of nutrients." The Cuban leader was being fed intravenously, the report said.

The Cuban regime has bee to deny the news:

A Cuban diplomat in Madrid said the reports were lies and declined to comment. "It's another lie and we are not going to talk about it. If anyone has to talk about Castro's illness it's Havana," the diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of official policy.

More Here
Today should be an interesting day in Havana

AND there's this bit of good news on Peritonitis from Voice Of America:

Peritonitis:

The condition is a painful and potentially fatal inflammation of the lining of the abdominal cavity often caused by infection in an organ.

The Cuban Patient

Thanks to Camilo over at Estancia Cubana we were able to find that El Pais in Spain is reporting that two sources at the same Hospital where the now infamous Spanish Doctor, Sabrido, works claim that what the Cuban Patient, Fidel Castro, had was diverticulitis. Diverticultis is an inflammation of abnormal pouches in the intestines.

What happened in his case is that they removed the intestinal piece with the inflamed, abnormal, pouches, not cancer. Then ,they reattached the colon to the rectum. Castro probably had an inflamed peritoneum which is a membrane that surrounds all abdominal organs.

When a patient with inflamed peritoneum has their colon reattached, there are likely to be complications, especially in the elderly.

In such cases, it is more prudent to make a temporary rectum to give the patient a chance to heal while they use a colostomy bag and then go back later and reattach the two disconnected parts of the colon.

Whether it was colon cancer or diverticulitis, the operative procedure would have been similar because in both cases a piece of the colon would be removed. So whether it was cancer or not THIS time, is inconsequential.

So far, a lot of the rumors about Fidel have been right on. One of those rumors was that Dr. Sabrido had been called in because the Cuban doctors were treating Castro for the wrong ailment. If it was his position that the colon should not have ben reattached in the intitial operation, then one could see how this rumor could start.

Given his know-it-all persona, one can also see Castro making the medical decision to have the colon reattached rather than opt for the colostomy bag to save his revolutionary ego from the humiliation of colostomy bag.

It is also important to point out that Sabrido pioneered a procedure in which a patient with an intestinal procedure is fitted with a “zipper” which doctors can open and close to clean any infections.

This would be helpful for a patient who is not responding with the more common way to attach tissues –stitches.

The Old Stitcheroo!

No, CastroI doesn't have Cancer, it's the old stitcheroo.

This from Reuters:

QUITO (Reuters) - Ailing Cuban leader Fidel Castro has been having problems with the healing of his stitches after stomach surgery last July, a diplomat said on Monday.

"Fidel has problems with his stitches healing," the diplomat said.

Cuban officials in Havana were not immediately available to comment on the remarks. But Cuban authorities have been insistent they will not divulge details of Castro's illness.

The diplomat said Castro was taken to the operating theater seven times in a single day in December to deal with the problem of his stitches. He did not give details.

More

The Castro II regime is now using its diplomatic corps as well as relatives to divulge information about the "sate secret" health of the moribund tyrant.

New information here is that he was taken into the ER SEVEN times in one day. This seems to suggest that there is something wrong with his recuperative abilities. Once the body starts to loose the ability to heal itself to the point that you have to be stitched up repeatedly, the patient is in dire straights. Given Castro's age, not a great prognosis.

Don't forget that in Cuban culture, the patient's family is "prepared" for the bad news by the doctors. The regime seems to be "preparing" Cuban society for the sad news about papa Fidel's death.

A Foot in Mouth or A Foot in Grave?

From Dominican Today:

Cuba's ambassador to the Dominican Republic said on Dominican TV yesterday that the "irreplaceable" Fidel Castro ,

due to his condition and the fact that he’s 80 years old, it’s very
unlikely that Fidel Castro will return to that nation’s presidency.

Since back in late November the regime has been making cryptic statements that Castro I will not return to govern. The first such "admission" came from his niece, Mariela, who envisioned her uncle returning in a symbolic or advisory role; a tyrant emeritus, if you will.

The new party line, laid down by Castro II, seems to be that Fidel may be gone but his ideas will live on.



This is what the Cuban Ambassador, Juan Astiasarán Ceballo , had to say on the subject on the program D'Agenda on Channel 11:

"At the moment most of the provincial and municipal ministers and officials are young people who are not over 40 years of age and are the people in charge of giving continuity to this process headed by our commander Fidel Castro,"

More Here

Did the Ambassador open his mouth and put his foot in it?

If Astiasarán doesn't get recalled to Havana and jailed within the next few days, we 'll know that the new position is that Castro I is never coming back because his foot is securely inside the grave.

La Botellita

Daddy's All Right UPDATED

Fidel Castro Diaz-Balart (Fidelito )

(Pic Courtesy of De La Cova's Latin American Studies)

Mommy's alright,

Daddy's alright,

they just seem a little weird.

Surrender,

surrender,

but don't give yourself away,

ay, ay, ay.

--------

According to the AP, Fidelito was quoted as saying:

"He is recovering, I see him recovering,''

"He is in good spirits and optimistic.''

Castro Diaz-Balart, a nuclear scientist, was in Chile for the inauguration of a scientific research center. On Friday, he attended a dinner hosted by President Michelle Bachelet.

Article Here

-------

I was expecting something better this weekend from the regime.

The last time the US government said Castro wasn't long for this world , they dug up the Spanish doctor AND told us that endearing story about the phone call to the Chinese Ambassador.

I was so hoping for another video since I'm in need of a good laugh after the Giants' demise.

It's interesting that the Diaz-Balart name has resurfaced on the island. Castro supposedly forbade it after his ex-brother in law and ex-best friend, Rafael Diaz-Balart coined Castro's nickname: "El Loco Endemoniado"

Update:

Suspicious minds are wondering if Fidelito's trip to Chile has anything to do with the Castro clan relocating to an area in the South American Pampa straddling the Argentina/Chile border.

That theory has been explored in Spanish at Nuevo Accion.

Originally, the rumor was that Castro's current wife Dalia Soto Del Valle and her five Castro fathered sons were looking for property in that area through a family friend.

Supposedly, Del Valle is not fond of Fidel's first born who reportedly has never even been to Punto Cero.

Flake Fallout Over D.C.?

The assistant administrator for Latin America and the Caribbean for the U.S. Agency for International Development, USAID, Adolfo Franco, announced that he’s leaving the agency to become Senator John McCain’s foreign policy advisor for his probable White House run.

Franco was in charge of the program that was audited by the GAO last year at the behest of congressmen William Delahunt and Jeff Flake. The two congressmen later lead a fact-finding mission to Havana where they met with some Cuban dignitaries, but were denied the request to meet with Raul Castro. They in turn, did not meet with Cuban dissidents, including the Ladies in White, who had asked to meet with the delegation.

Since the GOA audit, Cuban dissidents who depend on external funds to survive, claim that help from the US is “paralyzed” .

During a recent event in Havana on Three King’s Day, the Ladies in White said that funds from the event came from some Non Governmental Organizations in Europe.

Some excerpts from the Miami Herald Article:

In response to e-mailed questions, Franco said he was not pressured to resign and that USAID had done ``phenomenal work to further the dissident human rights movement in Cuba.'' He said after five years on the job it was time to move on. ``I believe I am among the longest serving senior political appointees in the Bush administration serving in the same position.''Franco said he will stay until President Bush taps a successor and the Senate approves the confirmation.

John Weaver, senior strategist for McCain's exploratory campaign, called Straight Talk America, hailed Franco, a Cuban American, as ''an outstanding public servant'' who ``understands the issues related to our hemisphere as well as anyone.''

Obviously, after the GOA audit, the USAID program to help the dissident movement in Cuba has been so discredited that it is as good as over.

Delahunt and Flake’s ultimate goal is to take down what is left of the economic sanctions against Cuba’s totalitarian regime.

Delahunt's work isn't done yet. Their next target is going to be the dismantling of Radio and TV Marti:

Delahunt said Congress plans to hold hearings in March on USAID's Cuba program and the operations of Radio and TV Martí.

Radio and TV Marti have made plans to broadcast to Cuba using the private sector recently.

Same 'Ol You Know What..........

Little change seen for Cuba even if Fidel Castro dies, UM panel says

"I'm not predicting that forever Cuba will remain the way it is, but for the short-term, the foreseeable future, one, two, three years ahead, I see significant repression, control of the population and very little openness," said Jaime Suchlicki, director of the University of Miami's Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies.

Suchlicki made the remarks during a media briefing on Cuba's future at the university's Casa Bacardi, the institute's headquarters. Other University of Miami experts weighing in included Brian Latell, a Latin American and Caribbean specialist and author; Andy Gomez, whose research focuses on human values and attitudes in a post-Castro Cuba; Jorge Piñón, an energy expert, and Eric Driggs, the institute's humanitarian aid coordinator.

"He is a ruthless military leader that for 47 years has run Cuba next to his brother ? I don't anticipate Raúl becoming a reformer in his old age," Suchlicki said.

"He's going to lead collegially. He's going to share the stage," Latell said.

"I think reaching out to the United States is attractive to the majority of Cubans. I think it appeals to them, especially their aspirations of change," he (Latell)said.

Then there’s CUBANOPHOBIA:

Several panelists said one danger for Raúl Castro's government is a younger generation that does not have as strong a connection to the Cuban Revolution and the Castro brothers as their parents did.

Gomez said that if Raúl Castro does not maintain control after Fidel Castro's death, as many as a half-million Cubans could leave the island by sea and head for the United States or other Caribbean countries.

"This is the group that most likely will want to leave the imprisoned island if the opportunity rises," he said.

Read it ALL HERE

Human Rights Watch Denounces Political Repression In Cuba

Human Rights Watch has published a report on the state of human rights worldwide

Cuba’s Communist Government continues to stifle practically all type of political dissidence according to the worldwide report.

The report was released on Thursday in New York and it added that it is yet not clear if Fidel Castro’s absence will have any affects on the current human rights situation in Cuba. So far, it hasn’t with many dissidents and observers claiming that repression and anxiety over the political uncertainty has increased.

The report also says that in order to repress the opposition in Cuba the Cuban regime resorts to detentions, harassment, police “warnings”, house arrests, travel restrictions and firing from the government controlled jobs, (the government is Cuba’s sole employer), for political reasons.

According to Human Rights Watch, Cubans are systematically denied due process, freedoms of expression, association, and movement. The legal and intuitional structure of the Cuban government are geared towards oppression and serve as the root of all human rights violations on the island.

Raul in Charge

The US ' main concern about the situation in Cuba right now continues to be its stabitlity.


Clearly, in the short term, they would rather see a stable but enslaved island than the volatility that would come with a civil revolt that would likely send thousands of Cubans into the Florida straights.


They're sleeping better in Washington while we toss and turn and dream of a free Cuba and the Cubans on the Island continue their nightmare tonight:


Officials believe Raul Castro is in control of a relatively stable Cuba

Army Lt. Gen. Michael D. Maples, the director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, also said that Raul, who's been Cuba's defense minister since the early 1960s, enjoys "widespread respect and support among Cuban military leaders who will be crucial in a permanent government succession."

"In Cuba, Raul Castro is firmly in control as Cuba's acting president," Maples said, and will likely maintain power and stability after Fidel Castro dies, at least for the short-term."

Rest Here

Three for Three

OK.

Something's definitely up Lula's sleeve.

First Day. He offers to help in the eventual democratization of Cuba.

Next Day: A very negative editorial in O Mondo calling Venezuela the new Cuba.

Today: A Bush and Lula meeting announced.

Brazil, a developing economic powerhouse, is moving to become a player in Latin-American politics and the world stage.

Brazil's goal is to get a permanent seat in the UN's security council. That road goes to New York through Washington.

Venezuela, Cuba among topics to be discussed by Bush and Lula

Venezuela and Cuba would be included in the agenda to be discussed by US president George W. Bush and his Brazilian counterpart Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva when they meet in Washington in the first half of 2007, Thursday announced a US official.


As quoted by AP, the Bush-Lula meeting date has not been set yet, but it would take place between April and June, said the official, who requested anonymity because the details of the trip have not been determined.

Washington is waiting to have more information about announcements made this week by Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez regarding nationalization of key sectors such as energy, telecommunications and heavy oil crude processing.


"Lula has good relations with Chávez… we are obviously very interested in the regional stability," he added.

Brazil can prove to be an important US ally to counterbalance Venezuela in the OAS and the UN to press for the democratization of Cuba .

See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil of Castro

Las Tres Monas Hipócritas

Resolver = Recycle

"Recycled" Plastic Liter Bottles

You see me and my stupid parents and all those people who left Cuba just had it all wrong.

Silly us.

All those shortages, and all that misery, and all the having to do without :

It was RECYCLING!!!!!!!

If had only known!

Here are some excerpts rationalizing the deplorable standard of living in Cuba from the Sun-Sentinel's Necessity -- and scarcity -- make Cubans masters of recycling :

Faced with chronic shortages, meager salaries and the United States' economic embargo, Cubans have mastered the art of recycling. The socialist government promotes the practice as a way to save the planet. But for most Cubans, it's more about saving themselves

Cuba's socialist government long has extolled the value of recycling. In 1961, Ernesto "Che" Guevara led a state company to recoup metals and other materials from waste. The objective: to save on imports, boost exports, expand industry and create jobs.

Cuba's cash-strapped government often touts recycling as environmentalism. A recent article in Communist Party newspaper Granma urged paper recycling to save
forests and stem the spread of garbage dumps. Another promoted the government's push to replace old, energy-guzzling appliances with new, mainly Chinese-made ones as a way to cut oil consumption.

Unlike European and U.S. cities, Cuba has few formal programs for recycling.

Well, they do have two very successful recycling programs in Cuba ommitted in the article.

Granma, the official government newspaper, is recycled as toilet paper becuase of toilet paper in Cuba is so scarce, it is considered a luxury.

They have also been very successful at recycling misery and oppression.

BUT, Yet, if you read the article , you'll find many interesting ways Cubans make due or "resuelven"

God, I hope that word, "resolver", fades from our people's vocabulary soon.

RIP

Everytime a Cuban dies these days I cant help to think that if they had just lived a little longer, they would have outlasted the tyrant

From The Jackson News Tribune:

HAVANA - Cuban dissident Manuel "Miguel" Valdes Tamayo, one of 75 activists jailed in a massive crackdown in 2003 and released a year later for health reasons, died Wednesday night, according to one of the island‘s leading activists. He was 50.

Valdes Tamayo had been in intensive care at a Havana hospital since Dec. 31. He was among dissidents rounded up in the spring of 2003 and sentenced to prison terms ranging from six to 28 years.

More on his death from Uncommon Sense

We Are Not Worthy

I sit and write these words from the comfort of a leather chair in an air conditioned room or a lawn chair by the pool, sipping beer, wine , soda, coffee or whatever I please, without a care in the world other than my a slow wireless broadband signal.

There are no repercussions or consequences about "ranting" about the events in an island 350 miles away save for a few caustic comments. No risks, only the rewards of patting myself on the back for doing something for the "cause".

Meet Carlos Otero:

He writes too. Only when he writes , there are consequences:

Read about Otero in this Miami New Times Article

Via BABALU

I'd like to think I'd do the same as Otero and stand up to the tyranny, but would I? Would I actually risk rotting in one of Castro's jails to defend my principles? Would I give up a life of comfort on my knees to stand up and risk it all?

I'm not sure I would be brave enough.

Next time you're down because of some adversity in your life, think of Carlos Otero. I know I will.

¡Otro Shock Brasile … ÑO!

Two Days , and Two Shockers from Brazil.

Today we have the O Globo criticizing Chavez’ collective plans for Venezuela by converting it into the New Cuba. The article reads as if it had been written by a made member of the Miami Mafia:

From: El Universal:

Chávez intends to create a new Cuba, say the Brazilian media

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez is trying to turn his country into a "new Cuba" and this may weaken Mercosur democratic mindset, commented Wednesday major
Brazilian newspapers.

"Chávez heads at full speed for a totalitarian state," said O Globo concerning Chávez' decision to nationalize major companies during his new six-year term started Wednesday with the banner of the 21st Century Socialism, AFP reported.

"The president is increasingly willing to turn Venezuela into a new Cuba," O Globo added. Like other media, the newspaper criticized Chávez for reversing a broadcasting license to a dissenting TV channel and lashing out at Organization of American States (OAS)Secretary-General José María Insulza.

O Globo warned against the "risk that Chávez could make Mercosur to lose moral strength." Venezuela joined last year the trade bloc composed of Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay and Paraguay.

Yesterday, I highlighted how the new Brazilian Ambassador to the US volunteered Brazil to “ possibly play a role in the search for a transition to democracy that could be more calm and without possible turbulence”.

Now this shocker.

The new Latin American Left in Chile and Brazil have been quick to distance themselves from the XXI century socialism conjured up in the fascist minds of Castro and Chavez, apparently choosing investments and free markets over nationalization and planned economies as ways to improve the lives of their citizens.

The likes of Castro I & II and Chavez, of course, don’t care about improving the lives of their citizens , only in power.

With Brazil, Costa Rica, Chile, Mexico, Uruguay, Paraguay and El Salvador sharing the US’s view on the autodetermination of the Cuban people, the OAS might play a major role in pressuring the Castro II regime into making some meaningful changes or in hastening its inevitable demise.

Ay Ay Ay Arias

Costa Rican President Oscar Arias continues to be that lone voice in the wilderness calling for human rights and the democratization of Cuba.

The Nobel Prize winner reiterated his wish that there should be a referendum in Cuba for the people to have a say in whether the wish Raúl Castro should continue to lead Cuba after his brother dies.

In an interview with Costa Rican radio station Radio Monumental he said that all he asks is that the right of auto-determination of all peoples be respected.

He also said that back in 1959 the Costa Rican president at the time, José Figueres, was the first to voice concerns that Fidel Castro government would turn into a communist tyranny. Arias said that he’s proud to be following in Figueres’ footsteps as well as in the footsteps of all Costa Ricans that are lovers of freedom and democracy.

Arias was attacked by the Regime’s propaganda attack dogs in Gramma where he was called an "opportunistic clown" and a "vulgar mercenary" of the United States for voicing his concerns for Cuba’s future after Castro dies.

More on Arias here and here

“Hay Dios mio, Gracias Que No Vivo En Cuba.”

The Ambassador From Ipanema

Wow! A Brazilian bombshell.

Brazil Could Help Cuba With Transition To Democracy -Envoy

BRASILIA, Brazil (AP)--Brazil's good relations with the U.S. and Cuba could help bring a peaceful transition to democracy in Cuba if ailing President Fidel Castro dies, Brazil's newly appointed ambassador to the U.S. told the official government news agency.

In an interview published Monday, Antonio de Aguiar Patriota said he believed the U.S. could benefit from Brazil's analysis of the situation within the communist country.

"Cuba is geographically close and also an important country in the region, with which we have fairly close relations these days. I consider Brazil could possibly play a role in the search for a transition to democracy that could be more calm and without possible turbulence," Patriota said Monday in his first published interview as ambassador.

This is a shocking statement given Brazil’s leftist President, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s, close ties to the Cuban tyranny.

Why would the Brazilian ambassador to the US mention Cuba, transition and democracy in the same sentence in his first interview to the official government news agency, you ask? And I don’t blame you; it’s baffling, but, ah there’s always but,

Patriota said Brazil also would continue to push for a permanent seat on the United Nation's Security Council, a goal that has long been a cornerstone of Silva's foreign policy.

I firmly believe that after Fidel Castro is buried, the United States is going to try to put international pressure on the only authoritarian government in the Americas using international governmental institutions such as the OAS, the UN, and the EU where the legitimacy of "Castro II’s" government is challenged.

I guess Brazil is letting Washington know that their price is a seat on the Security Council
Rest of the Article Here

Ladies in White Urge Pink Visit

Code Pink and Cindy go to Cuba to whine about how a bunch of islamofascist terrorists are being treated .

I know…..Yawnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnnn

Yawning Chihuahua

BUT.

The Ladies in White, the Iron Ladies of Cuba, have gotten media savvy. While the Pinkos where in the Red island, the Ladies in White sent a letter to the activists urging them to help in the plight of their jailed husbands and sons.



Mother to Peace Mom.

From the AP’s Vanessa Arrington:

The Ladies in White, a group of women demanding the release of their loved ones,
described what they called "inhumane" conditions at Cuba's prisons in a letter for Sheehan that was sent to international reporters. The group said it was trying to get a copy to Sheehan as well.

"At the same time you and your noble followers fight for the closure of the U.S. prison at the Guantanamo naval base ... just a few miles away at the provincial Guantanamo prison in Cuban territory, peaceful and defenseless political prisoners suffer inhumane conditions, (living) without potable water and with poor nutrition, deficient medical assistance, insects and rodents, limited visits and precarious communication," the letter said.

"We exhort you to visit the prisons of Cuba, chosen randomly, and not those prepared" by authorities, it added.

more

It is a brilliant move to appeal to these leftists to basically get involved in the same exact cause that they claim to be in Cuba for: Human Rights.

And it will accomplish two things:

Code Pink will, of course, ignore the request to help another set of peaceful women that are working for justice and peace as Code Pink claims to be doing, thus showing their hypocrisy and their true communist funded anti-American agenda.

And by taking advantage of the media circus accompanying Code Pink to Cuba, they are able to attract some much needed media attention to the plight of their jailed loved ones. and their country.

Kings Stage Comeback in Cuba

In Cuba, January 6 is Three Kings Day. Traditionally, children get toys and gifts on this day like American children do on Christmas.

This morning the MSM tells us that Juventud Rebelde, the communist youth tabloid in Cuba, is warning Cubans against capitalist style consumerism because of the unusually high demand for toys which preceded the Three Kings Day:

"A tradition that seemed extinct in Cuban society rises again," the state-run newspaper said. "Although no one sees celebrating the millennial festivity of the Three Kings as heresy, the danger could be in (the holiday) accentuating consumerist habits and social differences."

Hummm?...............

Back in the day, they would have mocked the religious celebration as “bourgeois” and silly. But after 48 years of trying to create Che’s “new man”, a cold, calculated, atheistic communist, they have failed. They’re right back where they started with warm, loving, spiritual Cubans.

Here’s another “Three King’s Day” story:

About 30 children, all sons and daughters of Cuban political prisoners asked the communist regime to free their fathers for Three Kings Day.

They did so publicly at a gathering sponsored by the “Ladies in White” .The event was held at the Havana home of founder Laura Pollán who is married to imprisoned opposition leader Héctor Maseda who’s serving a 20 year sentence.

Laura Pollán

Pollán said that children from all over Cuba took part in the event and that not one cent from the US Government was used to stage the event. She said that funds were donated from countries and organizations within the European Union.

Late last year, the Cuban government accused the dissident movement of being US mercenaries after a GOA report revealed that there were questionable managerial and accounting practices in the USAID program designed to materially aid Cuban dissidents working towards democracy on the island.

Blooming Jewbans?

Patronato Synagogue in Havana

Sometimes the sugar coating and fluff that accompany articles on Cuba make you want to say

Oy Vei!

Here's the name of the Article:

Jewish community blooming as Cuba eases restrictions

Wow! those nice totalitarians, how magnanimous and open mindedly liberal of them.

then you read this , halfway into the article ...

By the time World War II ended in 1945, up to 25,000 Jews lived in Cuba, placing the island among the largest safe havens for Jews per-capita during the Holocaust, Dworin and other Jewish community leaders say.

But many Jews left Cuba after World War II, mainly to the United States or Argentina. The community numbered about 15,000, when Fidel Castro and his rebels toppled the U.S.-backed dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista in 1959 and ushered in socialism, leaders say.

By the late 1960s, up to 90 percent of those remaining left, after the government seized their businesses or banned their private professional practices, leaders say. Appel said nearly all her family left, most to the United States, but she stayed to care for her aging mother and aunt.

Blossoming?!? I'd say barely surviving after being sprayed with Round-Up.

Oy Vei!

Of course, the article doesn't mention how the communist regime of Cuba has considered Israel an enemy and been a staunch supporter of the PLO terrorists going as far as providing training and equipment.

What a Wonderful World

I see trees of green, red roses too

I see them bloom for me and you

And I think to myself,

what a wonderful world

I see skies of blue and clouds of white

The bright blessed day,

the dark sacred night

And I think to myself,

what a wonderful world

The colours of the rainbow,

so pretty in the sky

Are also on the faces of people going by

I see friends shakin' hands, sayin' "How do you do?"

They're really saying "I love you"

I hear babies cryin', I watch them grow

They'll learn much more than I'll ever know

And I think to myself,

what a wonderful world

Yes, I think to myself,

what a wonderful world

Oh yeah

This is what happens on a beautiful day and I go blog outside.

No matter how beautiful it is, there's always that one little nagging feeling that will hopefully disappear very soon.

¡Que Viva Cuba Libre!

IN VERITAS VICTORIA

Back in the day, the anti-Castro contrarrevolución was a lot more “radical” than it is today.

In those days we dreamed of armed struggle against the tyrant.

The struggle in these post-soviet days has become an information war.

The Castro Regime, by its own admission, cannot win the war because we have truth and justice on our side.

This is what Abel Prieto, Culture Minister and rising star in Raul Castro’s regime, had to say about the subject:

"It would be a delusion to think we could hide that torrent of information," he insists, referring to anti-Castro websites. "The only possibility is to beat them with a better concept of life."

In the orthodox communist dialectic, that means that they have to fabricate an alternative truth and disperse it through propaganda. They can’t. Not in today’s world. It’s too small, too connected. All they can do is try to keep people from the truth by denying them information. They haven’t been able to for 48 years and they are certainly not going to be able to do it in today’s world.

Their enemy is the TRUTH. And like Time, as Fidel found out, truth cannot be conquered.

IN VERITAS VICTORIA…VICTORY IN TRUTH

US Says: Not So Fast!

90 Minutes.

That's how long Dr. José Luis García Sabrido spent with the patient, Fidel Castro Ruz, after making a 6,000 mile housecall.

He then spent the next 48 hours telling us what the patient didn't have when news of his trip surfaced.

From the Lexington Herald Leader:

"The bottom line: He is terminally ill," said Ross Feinstein

The U.S. ambassador to Madrid, Eduardo Aguirre, told reporters yesterday that García Sabrido's comments might have been part of a Cuban "propaganda"ploy.

Aguirre, in Washington for a gathering of U.S. ambassadors to Europe, said he
considered the doctor's diagnosis suspicious, echoing similar claims that other
U.S. officials have made before -- but always in private.

Article Here

From Breitbart:

"We believe that he has months, not years," Feinstein said, adding that "nothing has changed in the director's assessment" since the doctor's comments on Castro late last month.

Last month, when a congrassional "fact" finding delegation returned from a vist to Havana, one of the congressman shared this "fact":

'He'll be back,' was the story, and 'he doesn't have terminal cancer,' is what government officials told us," Jerry Moran, a Kansas Republican, said at the time.

In fact, we were told while we were in Cuba that the medical doctors treating Fidel Castro are sequestered, are isolated even from their own families," he said.

Article Here

From Killcastro - A war Blog:

But they pulled the fastest diagnostic on a man who’s been convalescing for 6 months! Maybe Dr. Sabrido needed to get back to some xmas unwrapping but it was all TOO fast , too clandestine too cloak and dagger and THERE it is when you get caught! And OOPSY DAISY!

Just so they know....they ain't fooling anybody!

Post from 12/26/06 Here

Everytime, a rumor has gotten a little too big or a US official comments, the regime has reacted by doing something to disprove the rumors.

Let's see what they do now!

Dos Héroes De La Contrarrevolución

Cuando niño, en Cuba, mi gran terror era que prendieran a mi padre por “contrarrevolucionario”, como habían hecho con los padres de algunos de mis amigos escolares.

Claro, que en si, no hacían contrarrevolución ni un diablo. Solamente trataban de resolver como se dice hoy en día.

Pero para un niño, que era señalado por que el y su familia eran “Gusanos” y querían irse para el norte, cundía el pánico.

Son esas las razones por cual este blog se llama la contrarrevolución (en spanglish) y yo escribo bajo El Gusano.

La Contrarrevolución tiene sus héroes y estos son dos de ellos. Son Luis Grass (I) y Marcial Lasanta (D).

Estos dos Gusanos, o “truckonauts” (camionautas) como se conocen en EE.UU., hicieron historia y capturaron la imaginación del mundo cuando hicieron su escape de la antilla totalitaria con “tremendo cachet”:

¿Por que los considero héroes de la contrarrevolución?

Por que le demostraron al mundo de que el espíritu cubano es indominable y que anhela ser libre Y porque pintaron la proa del “bote” del mismo color que el camión.

Los dos héroes están construyendo una duplica de la “embarcación” original. La duplica se llama Libertad y se estrenara en la Bahía de Vizcaya (Biscayne Bay), en Miami muy pronto.

Luis Grass le dijo al Palm Beach post, que cuando Cuba sea libre, navegaran la nueva embarcación a Cuba

El articulo en ingles por la Cubana Liz Balsameda aquí

Tale of Two Countries

Blooger Ate My Posting.
Here's what should have been posted this morning:


Martín Torrijos, President of Panama, was in Havana this week to meet with interim Cuban dictator, Raul Castro. During the visit, officials from both countries reviewed bilateral relationships.

Along with Castro, the Cuban delegation consisted of Carlos Lage, Fernando Ramírez de Estenoz y Felipe Pérez Roque. The participating Panamanians were Carlos Vallerino, Economic y Finance Ninister and Ángel Omar Rodríguez, Panama’s ambassador to Cuba.

As part of his agenda, the visitor toured the Latin American School of Medicine, where over 10,000 students from 28 countries, including 400 Panamanians, are studying.

In this fourth visit to Cuba since he came into power in 2004, Torrijos has held separate meetings with other Cuban officials, such as Parliament President Ricardo Alarcon, and Government minister Ricardo Cabrisas.

------

Torrijos as his father before him , Omar Torrijos, is a Castro groupie who had hoped to meet his idol, Fidel, one last time in this odd visit with little agenda.

.

The ex- Cuban dictator , who according to the Cuban regime and his Spanish doctor, is recuperating so satisfactorily that he may return to power soon, was in no condition to receive his Panamanian fan who left empty handed, misty eyed and quietly.

Meanwhile, another Central American country, El Salvador, is not planning on establishing diplomatic relations with Cuba due of the lack of freedom on the island and because of the communists regime’s intervention in El Salvador’s civil war.

Eduardo Cálix, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, said in an interview that Cuba doesn’t share the same democratic principles as El Salvador and that the Cuban government shows no signs of having any value for freedom or show a willingness to strengthen democratic institutions.

Cálix also strongly criticized Cuba’s involvement in fomenting El Salvador's revolution, an armed conflict that took the lives of 75,000 Salvadorans between 1980 and 1992.

------

Obviously, those who have experienced the evil of the Castro regime know that it makes no sense to sit and legitimize their murderous agenda.

Let’s not forget that Castro’s dream was to bring down Latin American society and replace with his own twisted brand of a collective revolutionary society.

Let’s not forget that his disciple, Hugo Chavez, is trying to carry out his mentor’s dream.

Chavez also had a new year's visit planned to Havana to meet his recuperating dictator- mentor but cancelled it without comment and sent Castro more Venezuelan national treasures.(documents from Bolivar).

It's Now Official: Castro Will Die!

All Psychics, Charlatans and New Age Occultists are now tripping all over each other to publicly predict the obvious:

Fidel Castro Will Die in 2007!

Even Ex-Director of American Intelligence, John Negroponte, got into the act last month.

But with this guy, Antonio Vazquez, Mexico's self-proclaimed "Grand Warlock" or "Brujo Mayor" getting into the act, it's a lock.

MEXICO CITY (AP) -By THERESA BRAINE

Fidel Castro will be dead by May. Presidential candidate-turned-protest leader Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador will fade into obscurity. The anti-immigration wall between the United States and Mexico will not get built.

Cuban expatriates in Miami might take special interest in Vazquez's forecast that the 80-year-old Castro, who temporarily ceded power to his brother Raul five months ago following emergency surgery for intestinal bleeding, will die in the next four months May. Raul will then develop closer relations to the United States, and eventually the long-banished casinos will be back.

Vazquez also said 2007 will be "100 percent feminine," with women rising to prominence on the world's artistic and political stages."

Article Here

O.K. My Two Quilitos:

First of all, I am not ex-pat, I am an exile.

Second of all, we exiles don't want casinos, we want elections.

Thirdly, as far as Cuba goes, did he mean "100 per cent effeminate, maybe?"

Fidel in the Way

We’ll Talk After the Funeral

Whatever Uncle Sam has up his sleeves, we will not find out until after the Funeral.

In an article in today’s Miami Herald:

''We see that this regime has made this successful transfer of power and is trying to consolidate itself, but it can't define itself or separate itself from Fidel,'' Thomas Shannon, assistant secretary of state for the Western Hemisphere, said in an interview. ``My guess is that we're not going to see that until Fidel Castro is dead and buried.''

''Fidel Castro is in this odd moment where he is neither alive nor dead politically. He is alive physically, but he's not in charge day to day, and he's obviously not present day to day, but it appears that he still has the ability to sit up in bed and give orders occasionally,'' Shannon said.

..and on the question in everyone's mind:

''We know he's really sick, that he's not really getting any better,'' Shannon said. ``But it's not clear to us what his problem is and what his timeline is, if I can speak of it crudely. Negroponte said that the information available to us portrays his demise in a question of months as opposed to years, but the reality is that we don't know because the Cubans don't share that information.''''We know he's really sick, that he's not really getting any better,'' Shannon said. ``But it's not clear to us what his problem is and what his timeline is, if I can speak of it crudely. Negroponte said that the information available to us portrays his demise in a question of months as opposed to years, but the reality is that we don't know because the Cubans don't share that information.''

Even if Raul’s tenure as dictator doesn’t deviate from his brother's too much, it is unlikely that his regime will be long-lived.

Cuba’s regime is nothing more than organized crime; corrupt to the core. The only thing that keeps all these thugs in line is the fear of the Godfather, Fidel, who keeps them all in line.
It remains to be seen if once Godfather is buried, the regime can survive the orgy of theft and corruption that will ensue.

A Lifting Veil?

It seems like the winds of change are finally blowing the veil that once obscured the truth about Cuba's slavery away.

Fads , social customs , fashion; they all seem to follow some indiscernible current, a subliminal understanding, a Jungian universal conscience.

We all seem to be attracted to and want do the same thing at the same time for some unexplainable reason.

Is the social undercurrent finally flowing to expose the Cuban regimes cruelty and brutality?

This from Blog for Cuba

This from Babalu

Now this from The Miami Times. A well written , gritty piece.

Che is for tourists. Poverty is for Cubans

Waiting for Him to Go
Castro’s Cuba brims with hushed anticipation, and paranoia
By Our Woman in Havana

an excerpt . I loved the writing style of this reporter, BTW

Everywhere everyone spewed about how this was the worst holiday season ever (no pork cutlets for Nochebuena, don't even think about an entire pig), worse than the Special Period after the collapse of the Soviet Union, worse than anything anyone had ever seen. People openly panhandled in the streets — something unseen five years ago. Buildings everywhere are peeling, crumbling, disintegrating into the streets. Internet, cell phones — hell, even phones — are nonexistent for regular Cubans. Even acting president Raul Castro went on national TV while I was there to carp about how bad the transportation and food situations were. "In this revolution, we are tired of excuses," he grumbled. On the street, all it took was a "How's Havana?" or a simple "How are you?" to launch a bitter rant.

and another:

Yet the tourists — mostly German, French, and Spanish — still go. There are fewer Americans these days, but they are there, hiding behind their dog-eared Lonely Planet guides and mojitos. Some have a passing curiosity about Fidel, but many are happy to see Cuba in all its communist Disneyland glory.

"I want to see it before it changes," was the common refrain.

I know its been a long time coming, but hell, the tide may finally be turning on the regime. Maybe it is now going to become chic to point out its many failures. Hopefully Castro bashing is the new wave of the future.

Latest Chapter in Delahunt/Flake Drama

More on the Delahunt/Flake congressional visit to Cuba and its fall out:

In our last episode , Cuban dissidents Elizardo Sánchez , Marta Beatriz Roque, Vladimiro Roca, and Gisela Delgado asked the Congressmen “to do everything in your reach to urgently normalize the humanitarian assistance in the form of medicines, foodstuffs, and other materials needed for sustenance and to recognize the positive role of the programs that allowed the said aid to reach us.”

A reader was kind enough to forward the Congressmen’s response to the Cuban dissidents:

Martha Beatriz Roque
Assembly to Promote Civil
Society

Gisela Delgado Sablon
Independent Libraries
Project

Elizardo Sanchez Santa Cruz
Cuban Commission for Human
Rights and National Reconciliation

Vladimiro Roca
Social
Democratic Party and spokesman of “Todos Unidos”

Havana,
Cuba

Dear Friends,

Thank you for your letter of December 16, which we received from the U.S. Interests Section in Havana.

We also saw the statement that you issued on November 23, in which you call for an end to the restrictions that the United States imposes on travel and the sending of aid to Cuba. We agree that the elimination of those restrictions would provide humanitarian and many other benefits to the peoples of both our countries. We also want you to know that in talks with Cuban officials in Havana, we once again urged the elimination of travel restrictions that the Cuban government imposes on its own citizensWe would like to address your questions about the GAO report on the Cuba programs of the U.S. Agency for International Development.

We have sought information about the USAID program.

We began by asking direct, routine questions of AID officials. After that agency declined to answer questions, we asked GAO, an auditing agency, to do a report.

The report found that there are serious management problems in the program.

Some of USAID’s management failures have led to excesses that have subjected the program to public ridicule. We expect that the program’s management will be improved.

Your letter is the first information we have received regarding an interruption of aid under this program. The U.S. Interests Section did not mention this in our conversations. We do not doubt the information you are providing us, but we would be surprised if the Administration were to have reacted to the GAO report by suspending humanitarian aid. No one in Congress has asked for aid to be suspended, and we know of no one in the Administration who supports such a step.

Nonetheless, as we noted above, it is often difficult to obtain information about this program. We will seek answers to your questions and we will ask that the Administration answer you directly.

We and our colleagues very much appreciate your letter and your views on these issues. We have long believed that te U.S. travel restrictions and other aspects of the embargo block contacts that we should be encouraging between our two countries – exchanges of information and ideas, family visits, student and people-to-people exchanges, humanitarian aid of all types. We believe that, especially now, the relations between the Cuban and American peoples should be far broader than merely those envisioned in U.S. government programs. As we continue our work we hope we will always be able to count on your candid opinions.

Sincerely,

Bill Delahunt
Jeff Flake

Unfortunately, from their response , I don’t get a sense of urgency or responsibility for the plight of the dissidents on the part of congressmen Delahunt or Flake even though the dissident’s current plight is a direct consequence of their actions. I can’t believe how optimistic they are about “broadening” relations between the Cuban and American people, after the snub they just received in Havana. . It should have become clear to them during their visit that the Cuban regime isn’t interested in broadening anything but our graves; to bury us, like Nikita vowed.

Both the administration and its critics need to realize that their political scrimmages have an impact on these brave and vulnerable dissidents being held hostage in Cuba by brutal and unscrupulous thugs who don’t like people expressing their “candid opinions”.

We can safely sit here in the land of the free and home the brave and point fingers, but when we do, we need to be careful innocents don't get poked.

Enough ranting. (there goes Another New Year's Resolution down the tubes)

For those who want to refresh their memories or are not familiar with the Delahunt/Flake Telenovela, you can click here to get a quick synopsis previous episodes. (previous post)

Thanks to our reader for remembering and looking out for the Cuban Dissidents.

Previously on the Flake Factfinding Novela.....

The Congressional Fact- Finding visit to Cuba led by William Delahunt (D) and Jeff Flake (R) is now a telenovela.

In Previous Episodes:

The Congressman, who are critical of the administration’s Cuba policy and the series of ecomomic sanctions referred to as the “embargo”, asked the GOA to audit the USAID program to materially assist dissidents in Cuba. Once the report was made public, ridicule of the program and the about how the grant dollars were spent, mostly Cuban by exile organizations, ensued.

Among the items purchased with taxpayer’s dollars were gameboy video games which raised the ever cocked eyebrow of the Miami-Herald. The father of one of the gameboy recipients then wrote an article about the gift his son received which was published in the Nuevo Herald. I translated the letter here.

Next, Delahunt and Flake, along with eight colleagues, flew to Havana to explore ecomomic ties with the new dictator who in a speech on Dec 2, 2006 had offered to negotiate with the US as equals.. The Cuban dissidents who had been receiving the aid, asked to meet with the congressman while they were in Havana, but couldn’t.

The day before the delegation got to Havana, the Cuban regime went on the offensive and using the GOA report labeled the Cuban dissidents as US paid mercenaries.

While in Havana, Raul did not meet with the delegation and they were used to repeat the party line that Fidel Castro was not terminally ill and would eventually return to being dictator.

After the delegation left Havana, the Cuban dissidents felt that they had been left out of the meetings because the congressmen believed that they would stand a better chance of meeting with Raul Castro if they didn’t meet with the dissidents. Marta Beatriz Roque, a leading dissident summed the whole affair up succinctly and eloquently by saying that the congressional delegation "had not only left empty-handed, but with dirty hands as well"

The Cuban Regime also warned the US against supporting dissent in Cuba and threatened to “adopt, at any time, the measures it deems necessary for confronting this type of aggression”

Cubanophobia in the Palm Beaches

Fear Not, White People

My new Year’s resolution is not to be too sarcastic.

The Palm Beach Post has a PSA article today to reassure Anglos and other non-Cubans in South Florida that their elected officials are ready to defend them against “those crazy Cubans” once Castro dies and the unruly hoard of drunken foreigners takes to the streets in search of white women.

Local police are hoping their involvement after Castro dies isn't as confrontational. In places with large Cuban populations, such as Miami-Dade and the city of Key West, authorities expect large-scale celebrating in the street - with many celebrants drinking something stronger than Maria Vazquez's cider.

"Those police departments may just have to decide what streets to close to traffic" to accommodate the celebrants, says Amos Rojas Jr., FDLE special agent in charge. "Let's hope that's all that happens."

The article also tries to calm the fears of South Florida property owners who have seen the value of their homes depreciate by as much as 10% in the last few months, by assuring them that there will not be another “Mariel” or MME, Mass Migration Event, after Castro’s death, to negatively affect property values even further.

Santayana quoting James Brooks, spokesman for the Naval Air Station in Key West has this to say:

"Everybody knows what happened at the time of Mariel”

"We want to learn from history and not repeat it,"

MME phobias and Cubanophobias were further appeased with the revelation that there’s even a code name for the readiness plan:

"Operation Vigilant Sentry" is Homeland Security's game plan to react to any large movement of migrants towards U.S. shores from the south. The plan is about 1,000 pages long and was the text for the recent exercise.

Palm Beach County officials participated in that exercise, including law enforcement, fire rescue and health department officials.

"We have standing commitments to coordinate and cooperate with other departments in the Homeland Security Task Force," says Paul Miller, spokesman for the Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office.

He said one task for which the sheriff's office might be mobilized is search and rescue

Would that be the search and rescue of white people trapped behind third world country enemy lines?

Rest of the Article Here

Low Key Totalitarianism

New Year, no Fidel in sight.

There were no videos, radio messages, pictures or sightings of the dictator in Cuba this weekend, although a psychic in Mexico says he’s already on a different “plane”

The commemorative festivities for the revolution’s 48th anniversary in the island consisted of block parties, fairs, and concerts.

The regime designed and heavily promoted a campaign for people to go out and celebrate; almost forcing people to go out and dance in the streets. Mercifully, they were spared any political acts or speeches.

Raul is trying to begin his dictatorship on a good note, establishing a low key totalitarianism. What better way to win over some support from the Cubans that have ridiculed him for years than to give them a few days off and organize a big bash?

Today was supposed to be the day where new workplace rules designed to improve services and productivity were to have gone into effect, but the regime announced a postponement until April. Rumors then started that new economic initiatives might be announced early this month, perhaps today. We wait.

Raul’s propaganda machine has been busy in the last month hinting that the more pragmatic Castro brother will likely loosen some restrictions on private entrepreneurship.
That move plus not making people sit through statistics-laden multi-hour long speeches will be a relief to the long suffering Cubans.

Happy New Year News From The EU

From BBC News:

Romania and Bulgaria join the EU

Huge celebrations have been held in Romania and Bulgaria to mark their accession to the European Union, 17 years after the fall of Communism

Tens of thousands attended concerts in the two capitals, Bucharest and Sofia.

The Romanian president said EU entry was an "enormous chance for future generations", while Bulgaria's leader said it was a "heavenly moment".

Their accession means the EU now has 27 members and half a billion people, and stretches as far east as the Black Sea.

Germany also takes over from Finland for six months as the country holding the presidency of the European Union.

Great news on two fronts.

For one, it shows that once the yoke of Marxism is lifted, progress and democracy naturally blossom from its ruin. Hope for Cuba.

And another, two more anti-communist allies joined the European Union today.

This is going to be an important part for the international push for the democratization in Cuba, currently being lead by Czech Republic in the European Parliament.

It is my belief that once Fidel Castro is dead, that the US, through the UN and the OAS, and the Czech Republic in the EU Parliament, will refuse to legitimize the unelected government of Raúl Castro and try to force him into moving towards democratization.

Two more Ex-Warsaw pact countries in the EU Parliament, will make it easier for the Czechs, Hungarians, Poles and others to push the EU to put pressure on the Cuban regime. If Fidel dies within the next six months, having Germany, which suffered from 1945 to 1989 from being divided due to the Soviet Empire, at the presidency will further help with the Cuban pro-democracy in the EU.

Japi Nu Yiar

Anoche, bueno no anoche, hoy por la madrugada,¡ Al fin! con más certidumbre que en años anteriores pude alzar la copa de Cava y proclamar con alegría como un buen judío caribeño:

¡ El Próximo Ano, En La Habana!

Como de costumbre, Dick Clark , hablaba desde la pantalla, resucitado. Mas viejo que andar a pie, el señor Clark estuvo al borde de la muerte, pero ahí estaba, vivito y coleando…………….



Uh oh……..

Se me parqueo la tiñosa