Livingstone Duped by Cubaland
Ken Livingstone, the Mayor of London, has been on a visit to Cuba recently. he had the following to say:
Ken Livingstone, the Mayor of London, has launched a tirade against President George Bush and the "evil" war in Iraq.
blah blah blah, he's entitled to his opinions. but then he spouts the lies Cubaland blends so well with fact until they seem true:
[Livingstone] attacked the White House for pursuing " economic war" against the Communist state of Cuba.
that's the big excuse for Cuba's economic nightmare. but it's false. the true reasons for Cuba's disastrous economy are a crippling state-run communist system, mismanagement of resources, and Cuba's waste of human capital in internationalist ventures.
as far as "economic war" goes, let's all remember that Cuba can purchase all the food it wants from the US. why doesn't it purchase more, and properly feed its citizens, instead of pilfering its hard currency helping Third World countries? (the reason, of course, is that the later builds Cubaland political capital which it can cash in when it needs to squash dissent internally)
and then, the next two great lies are trotted out:
[Livinstone] also paid tribute to the health services and education provided by the Cuban President, Fidel Castro.
clearly, Ken Livingstone doesn't read this blog. if he did, he would know that while you can GET an education in Cuba, should you CHOSE to use it to criticize the regime, to jail you go.
likewise, the much-touted medical services are a joke, and most of Cuban doctors are abroad, in Castro's campaign to buy support from Third World countries.
and let's not forget the many calls by international bodies for Cuba to honor the human rights of its people, all of which, of course, go unheeded, whether by the OAS or by the UN.
which Cuba did you visit, Mr. Livingstone? the official one, carefully constructed so that you never saw anything beyond the showcase schools, the hospitals that tend to the party elites, the carefully selected crowds of party supporters?
did you venture into the real Cuba, where people are beaten for trying to open a library?
out to the country with the highest suicide rate in the Western Hemisphere?
out away from the tourist beaches to where the infrastructure is crumbling?
no?
perhaps you should go back and rethink your position.
Ken Livingstone, the Mayor of London, has launched a tirade against President George Bush and the "evil" war in Iraq.
The Mayor of London also accused President Bush of being elected in a " judicial coup d'état"
blah blah blah, he's entitled to his opinions. but then he spouts the lies Cubaland blends so well with fact until they seem true:
[Livingstone] attacked the White House for pursuing " economic war" against the Communist state of Cuba.
that's the big excuse for Cuba's economic nightmare. but it's false. the true reasons for Cuba's disastrous economy are a crippling state-run communist system, mismanagement of resources, and Cuba's waste of human capital in internationalist ventures.
as far as "economic war" goes, let's all remember that Cuba can purchase all the food it wants from the US. why doesn't it purchase more, and properly feed its citizens, instead of pilfering its hard currency helping Third World countries? (the reason, of course, is that the later builds Cubaland political capital which it can cash in when it needs to squash dissent internally)
and then, the next two great lies are trotted out:
[Livinstone] also paid tribute to the health services and education provided by the Cuban President, Fidel Castro.
clearly, Ken Livingstone doesn't read this blog. if he did, he would know that while you can GET an education in Cuba, should you CHOSE to use it to criticize the regime, to jail you go.
likewise, the much-touted medical services are a joke, and most of Cuban doctors are abroad, in Castro's campaign to buy support from Third World countries.
and let's not forget the many calls by international bodies for Cuba to honor the human rights of its people, all of which, of course, go unheeded, whether by the OAS or by the UN.
which Cuba did you visit, Mr. Livingstone? the official one, carefully constructed so that you never saw anything beyond the showcase schools, the hospitals that tend to the party elites, the carefully selected crowds of party supporters?
did you venture into the real Cuba, where people are beaten for trying to open a library?
out to the country with the highest suicide rate in the Western Hemisphere?
out away from the tourist beaches to where the infrastructure is crumbling?
no?
perhaps you should go back and rethink your position.
posted by Yimboro | 6:13 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home