Cubaland

Twitter in Cuba

2011-07-04T09:52:00.000-07:00

When the internet allows us to hear from people within Cuba about their reality, that reality, not surprisingly, continues to bear little resemblance to the jingoistic, mind-numbing official version put out by Granma and other government-controlled media. One such window into Cuba is Yoani Sanchez ( @yoanisanchez ). Her work has been published in her blog GeneracionY and carried outside Cuba by a number of publications, including the Washington Post (that is her latest piece, on Hugo Chavez's illness and its political significance).

This past July 1, 2011, Twitter users in Cuba met for the first time in Havana. The meeting was organized by Leunam Rodriguez, who works for a government-controlled radio station (that is redundant because all media is government-controlled in Cuba, but I want to make sure the point is obvious). Some independent Twitter users such as Mario ( @maritovoz ) traveled literally half-way across the island to be there, in Mario's case from Villa Clara province, not a small feat in a country in which traveling any sort of distance is extremely difficult.

When Mario got to the gathering, there was some confusion. The meeting was supposed to have taken place at a Havana pizzeria. When Mario got there, there were few Cuban twitter users around. He was interviewed by the foreign press who were there to cover the event, all more or less confused as to whether the event was taking place at all or if it had been cancelled by official edict. Eventually it was discovered that the meeting had been moved at the last minute to a government-provided pavilion, lest there be any confusion as to who was in control of the proceedings.

Mario made it to the officially-sanctioned pavilion, only to be disgusted by what he found. "What I found in the Pavilion, "he tweeted shortly thereafter, "has little to do with the freedom of Twitter and much to do with the prison that is Cuba." Yoani Sanchez was not impressed either. With her usual crystal-clear understanding of official Cuba's methods, she stated the meeting had been kidnapped by officialdom and declined to participate.

What happened here is clear. This meeting was organized by a state media employee, who was probably well-intentioned but who forgot that in Cuba everything is political and that the government will not allow even the smallest hint that it is not fully in control. Thus, he made a tactical mistake when he arranged for a "non-government" space in which to have the meeting. At the last minute, the government exercised its control, as it does on a daily basis in all facets of Cuban life, and transferred the venue to a location with an official imprimatur attached lest there be any doubt as to who is in charge in Cuba.

What is different, of course, is that a few years back none of us would have been able to hear the dissenting voices so easily and so quickly. Simply being able to express a different opinion from the government line is monumental, and having others be able to hear that opinion is a victory. That is precisely what the Cuban government has been trying to prevent for the past 50 years through its monopoly on information and communication.

Commenting on the event, Ted Henken, a professor of sociology and Latin American studies at Baruch College in New York, just about nailed it: "I think Twitter is political even when it's not political," he said. "The (Cuban) system is very monolithic; therefore even if you use Twitter to promote a sewing circle ... it's political because it is unfiltered."

When I first read about the meeting, I looked up some of the people involved by their Twitter names. To my disappointment, the first few were doing little more than providing links to official Cuban media stories and (a dead giveaway as to affiliation) sending warm wishes to Hugo Chavez on his recovery.

But then I started to read Mario's tweets and I knew that, like Yoani Sanchez, here was the real thing. Here was someone inside Cuba willing to speak his mind and state his truth and refusing to play along with the government. That takes courage when you live in a country with an all-pervasive security apparatus and no due process rights. Tomorrow, he and Yoani Sanchez and others like them could be accused of almost anything and be put in jail for 2, 5, 10 years without anything resembling a fair trial. Just like that. And they know it. And they still go on speaking their mind. That blows me away. I wish under similar circumstances I would have that courage, but I don't know if I would. I really don't know.

Which goes to show you that while technology may have great potential, it is what some people have the courage to do with it that counts.

Source

the times, they are-a-changing

2009-04-09T15:58:00.001-07:00

i nearly passed out when i read this, but it appears the Cuban National Foundation (the most visible and arguably most influential Cuban-American organization in the US, and slightly to the right of Rush Limbaugh and Curtis LeMay) thinks maybe after 50 years maybe it might be maybe time to try something maybe new, maybe:

“For 50 years we have been trying to change the Cuban government, the Cuban regime,” said the foundation’s president, Francisco J. Hernandez, a veteran of the Bay of Pigs invasion in April 1961. “At the present time, what we have to do is change the emphasis to the Cuban people — because they are going to be the ones who change things in Cuba.”

In a reversal from the group’s founding principles, he said American policy should focus not on sanctions but on proactive policies that direct resources to the island. "

Source

Obama's Move: Part II

2009-04-03T21:05:00.000-07:00

word is that the Obama administration is planning to abolish limits on family travel and cash remittances between the United States and Cuba. Source.

that would mean that after rolling Bush's restrictions on family travel to Cuba just three weeks ago, Obama is going further: no restrictions for family travel at all.

but that does create two classes of Americans: those who can travel to Cuba and those who can't.

i certainly hope Obama takes the next logical step and remove all impediments for any American to travel to Cuba.

Obama rolls back Bush restrictions on Cuba

2009-03-11T20:22:00.001-07:00

as part of the $410 billion budget Obama signed today, several provisions essentially roll back limits imposed by Bush on travel and business with Cuba.

first, restrictions on travel to Cuba by US residents with relatives in Cuba have been eased. Cuban-Americans can now travel to Cuba once a year (instead of once every three years under Bush.) also, the two-week maximum duration of their stay has been lifted.

second, the definition of "relative" has been broadened to include uncles, aunts, nephews and nieces, meaning more Cuban-Americans will be able to travel to Cuba than under the more restrictive definition used by Bush (only parents, grandparents, children and siblings counted as relatives).

third, US residents traveling to Cuba will be able to spend more dollars there (up to $179.00 per day).

and fourth, the policy of expecting Cuba to pay for agricultural and medical goods in the US before the cargo was loaded onto ships headed for Cuba has been ended. instead, the pre-Bush policy where payment was expected when the goods reached Cuba is back in effect (this is the method favored by U.S. farmers and exporters because it makes trade easier).

US Citizens still have great limitations on their ability to go to Cuba and spend US dollars there.

one hopes this is the beginning of the end for such restrictions. however, there is opposition to any such moves in Congress.

initially, the relatively small changes made prompted two Democrat senators, Bill Nelson of Florida and Bob Menendez of New Jersey, to consider opposing the spending bill. tight oversight of the changes was promised in exchange for their votes. both senators ultimately backed the bill.

meet the younger boss, same as the older boss

2009-03-07T09:51:00.000-08:00

so ... after a year in power and having done very little in the way of real change, King Raul fires two of the most prominent Cuban leaders, changes others around, consolidates some ministries, and basically shows he's in charge. top Cuban government figures falling in disgrace? been there, done that. only the names are different. well, not really (more on that later).

the two biggest leaders to be fired were Carlos Lage (Vice President of the Council of State, a member of the Politburo of the Communist Party, and Executive Secretary of the Council of Ministers) and Felipe Perez Roque (Minister of Foreign Affairs, the youngest member of the Council of State, and the only Council member born after the Cuban Revolution in 1959).

to my surprise, Wayne Smith (probably the most experienced Cuban expert alive) said he was surprised by King Raul's move. ("“He certainly surprised me,” said Mr. Smith, now the director of the Cuba program at the Center for International Policy in Washington. “I’m certainly watching and waiting with interest.”) Source.

surprised? really? this same thing has been done by the Castro Brothers over and over again (Big Brother usually being the active party). Anyone remember the Ochoa trial and the subsequent political bloodbath at the Ministry of the Interior? Or more recently, the firing of the Education Minister, Luis Ignacio Gomez Gutierrez?

the reason for such punishment has always been the same: less than 100% acquiescence with the real power in Cuba: King Fidel (Allegedly Retired).

King Fidel (Allegedly Retired) admits he was consulted prior to the decision, not because of any obligation for anyone to do it, of course, but because that's how true revolutionaries behave (his words). To be a true revolutionary, one must consult King Fidel (even if Allegedly Retired). This obligation, one must conclude, includes King Raul (Recently Crowned). Not to do so is to be a false revolutionary, and thus to be subject to reprisal.

the reprisal follows an old, familiar pattern:

1. summary firing;
2. public disgrace as the fired leader is exposed as corrupt/weak/immoral or all the above
3. quiet acquiescence by the fired leader and admission of guilt

this time it was no different. two of the longest-serving members of the ruling clique were fired. King Fidel (Allegedly Retired) wrote an editorial stating that they had allowed the "honey of power obtained without any sacrifice [to] aw[ake] in them ambitions which led them to play a shameful role." Source. the two men then wrote letters admitting to mistakes and resigning all their posts.

this has been King Fidel (Allegedly Retired)'s playbook for 50 years. and he's still at it.

any attempt to interpret this move solely in light of a move by the Castro brothers to (a) facilitate change in Cuba or (b) facilitate change in Cuba-US relations is missing the big picture. The Castro Brothers brought out their trademark character assassination tools. the reason is simple: fear of internal challenge, whether real or perceived.

so, what led to this? based on the past, the only possible answer is that Lage and Perez Roque fell out of favor with Raul because they must have disagreed with him on a series of issues and voiced their views (most likely regarding the direction of the Cuban Revolution).

less than fully loyal, and potential rivals for power, they had to be sidelined because to fall out of favor with Raul Castro is to fall out of favor with the power behind Raul, the real power in Cuba, and the one who still matters: Fidel Castro.

will an Obama victory signify the end of the embargo?

2008-11-01T20:02:00.000-07:00

by itself, not likely ... but

(yes, there's a but)

with the House and the Senate firmly in Democrat hands, it is very possible (indeed, likely) that the 50-year-old embargo may come to an end

and it's about time

why?

because the US has been stuck on a policy that has not worked for fifty years. maybe it's time to try something else? heck, it can't fail any more miserably than the embargo.

Cuba in the Olympics

2008-08-17T18:48:00.000-07:00

if you haven't been following the Olympic baseball games, Cuba has now won four in a row (against Japan, Canada, the US and Taiwan). so far, Cuba has won 8 medals (1 gold, 3 silver, 4 bronze).

there is no doubt Cuba's athletic programs are, for a nation its size, world-class. consider that Cuba's population is only 11.5 million, compared with medal leaders U.S. (304. 8 million) and China (1.3 billion -- that's billion with a "b").

i'm not here to point out that Cuba's baseball team is really a professional team. the players are paid to play, though not much. they don't have to hold other jobs, nor are they college students. they are full-time baseball players, and spend much of the year playing in the national league.

no matter. these days, professionals are allowed to play in the Olympics (in basketball, for example).

no. i am here to point out a claim King Fidel (Retired) made a few weeks ago. trying to refute the allegations of human right abuses in Cuba, Castro pointed to Cuba's success in sports and answered a rhetorical question: a country can't have great success in international sports and at the same time systematically violate human rights.

i'll say it again. King Fidel stated that a country can't have great success in sports and at the same time systematically violate human rights.

one only wishes.

as a response, i would like to point to the great Olympic success of, amongst others, East Germany and the Soviet Union. both nations achieved superlative medal counts while engaging in unmitigated human right abuses and suppressing the most basic freedoms.

and how about Chauchesku's Romania? Nadia Comaneci indeed was a one-of-a-kind gymnast. Alas, she came from a country where many people were arbitrarily killed or imprisoned for political (and some times for no apparent) reasons; a country responsible for hundreds of thousands of abuses, deaths and incidents of torture against a large range of people, from political opponents to ordinary citizens; a country where 80,000 political prisoners were detained as psychiatric patients and treated in some of the most sadistic ways by doctors; and a country where, as the best estimates tell us, two million people were direct victims of repression.

so much for the "sports and human right abuses don't mix" line.

oh ... and lest one forget ... how about the current Olympic host? so far, China leads in gold medals, and is second in overall medals.

and of course, we all know that China is a paragon of respect for human rights. for a short list, look up Tibet, Tiananmen Square, the religious persecution of Falun Gong, the one-child policy and its corresponding female infanticide disaster, organ harvesting, and extrajudicial executions.

had King Fidel (Retired) bothered to think his argument through, he would have realized that human rights violations have no correlation whatsoever with a nation's Olympic success.

and Cuba is an excellent case in point.

Cuba Signals Crackdown on Dissidents

2008-07-02T17:51:00.000-07:00

in an unsigned editorial in Granma, the Cuban government warns the world and the U.S. that contact with or support for Cuban dissidents will not be tolerated. the editorial ends ominously with a threat: anything that Cuba does about these dissidents will be squarely the fault of the U.S.

crackdowns by Cuba on its internal dissent is nothing new. recently, the European Union formally lifted its sanctions on Cuba, which were imposed after yet another such crackdown in 2003.

in an attempt to give some semblance of legitimacy to the impending new round of human rights abuses, the Cuban government lists the following activities as "intolerable:"

-- a Father's Day celebration held in the residence of the head of the U.S. Interest Section in Cuba, in which Cuban dissidents were addressed via teleconference by U.S. Secretary of Commerce Carlos Gutierrez

-- a series of video conferences on journalism by Florida International University professors in which Cuban dissidents participated, held at the U.S. Interest Section

-- visits by U.S. Interest Section personnel to Cuban dissidents' homes in Havana

of course, the fact that these activities are carried out in the open means that the dissidents are really fiendish U.S. agents and potential saboteurs, and yet too stupid to cover their tracks, doesn't it?

in a country where any form of dissent is considered treason, merely meeting with U.S. diplomats is an act of protest and defiance. the Cuban government interprets it as such, at any rate.

and shortly, more brave Cubans who dare take a stand against a dictatorship that has been in power for almost 50 years will be jailed or worse on the flimsy excuse that they are "mercenaries" in the pay of the U.S. government.

and the European Union may have to re-enact its sanctions against Cuba yet again

Just when I thought I'd heard it all

2008-06-23T19:52:00.001-07:00

i must confess i read Granma, Cuba's official "newspaper" (i.e. government mouthpiece) almost every day. to misquote a good movie, the b.s. piles up so fast there you need wings to stay above it.

anyway ... just when i thought i'd heard just about every lie and distortion of the truth possible, along comes this gem from King Fidel (Retired):

In any case, is it not a a calumny the affirmation, repeated millions of times, that Cuba practices torture and violates human rights? We have never tortured anyone, nor have we deprived anyone of his life through extrajudicial methods.

(¿Acaso no ha sido calumnia la afirmación, millones de veces repetida, de que en Cuba se tortura y se violan los derechos humanos? Nunca hemos torturado a nadie, ni privado de la vida a alguien por métodos extrajudiciales.)

Source

holy longest reigning dictator in the world, Batman!

extrajudicial processes? there are no judicial processes in Cuba. defense lawyers are Army officers whose "defenses" amount to "he/she is guilty, let the Revolution be merciful." show trials, such as those of General Arnaldo Ochoa, are just the tip of the iceberg. every single political "trial" in Cuba is summary and purely academic, with the conclusion foregone. does anyone believe that less than two weeks from arrest to execution represents a fair judicial proceeding?

and no torture in Cuba? i happen to know personally three people who were tortured in Cuba. one was kept in a room where temperatures were alternated between freezing and boiling, deprived of sleep, and beaten when he refused to retract his "crime" (he had written an anti-government poem ... heavy crime indeed).

another (who had tried to leave the country illegally) was kept in a cell with mentally unstable prisoners for five days. several of them were deprived of medication and became violent, beating other prisoners. one of the mentally unstable prisoners was a known murderer, and even the other "unstable" prisoners had to take turns holding him down because he had become so violent no one could sleep unless he was restrained.

another was kept standing for over three weeks in a room roughly the size of a telephone booth. she was barely fed ... but did receive plenty of water ... one does not want one's prisoners to die of thirst. of course, she had to urinate and defecate standing up. her legs became swollen and so painful she could barely sleep minutes at a time. during these three weeks, she got her period, and was denied any hygiene products, including toilet paper. guards passing by could open a window into her "cell" and mock the smell coming from her.

and these are just stories from people i know well. i have heard reports from many Cuban ex-political prisoners of being kept in tiny cells, fed next to nothing, denied medication, denied pain killers despite begging for them. i have read sworn affidavits from Cubans who witnessed severe beatings (several culminating in death) administered to fellow prisoners.

i have seen a grown man break down as he recounted being told to get a doll to fall asleep and being beaten repeatedly when he "failed" to get the doll to go to sleep. i heard a man tell of how he was stripped, made to squat on the floor, and being threatened with a knife drawn to his genitals.

not too long ago, pictures of the "cell" where Dr. Elias Biscet is kept were made available. this "cell" is the size of a port-a-potty. spend just a few hours in there in Cuba's tropical heat, and you will know what torture is.

no torture in Cuba. says King Fidel (Retired) with a straight face.

if it weren't so tragic it'd be laughable.

Cubans Can Have Cell Phones

2008-03-28T07:10:00.000-07:00

so, today, King Raul made an announcement allowing his subjects ... to use cell phones

for those you trying to understand Cuba (or any totalitarian regime), think about this. the Head Honcho of your country ... announces ... you can use a cell phone from now on

think about this for a while, and you may begin to understand the control under which the Cuban people live

as to what this means, it's consistent with King Raul's attempts to relax the rules somewhat ... but only somewhat, mind you. he wants better production and economic efficiency, and he understands that people who work for material rewards (such as cell phones) tend to work better and harder

look for more changes providing "consumer society" rewards to the Cuban people. my hope is that these reforms will run away from King Raul as the Cuban people get small doses of freedom and demand more

Fidel was always weary of the smallest crack in the dike of control, fearing (perhaps rightly so) that the smallest loss of control could lead to the collapse of his regime.

Source

Press Freedom Group Calls for Release of Cuban Journalists

2008-03-16T20:50:00.000-07:00

The free-press advocacy group Reporters Without Borders appealed Friday to Cuban leader Raul Castro to free 19 journalists still jailed in Cuba five years after a crackdown on critics of the regime.

Eight of the jailed reporters have been freed over the last five years, but relatives and colleagues of those still in prison attribute those releases to gestures of the Cuban government aimed at winning cooperative relations with European states. At least four more reporters have been detained since.

"This was not a humanitarian gesture but rather a trade-off in exchange for the goodwill of Europe, and Spain in particular," said Laura Pollan, wife of Hector Maseda Gutierrez, a rights group founder serving a 20-year sentence at a prison in Matanzas.

The European Union imposed diplomatic sanctions after the crackdown on dissent, but most have been eased over the last year, led by Spain, which is heavily invested in Cuba's resurgent tourism industry.

Last month, Havana released four rights activists to the Spanish government ahead of a visit by a Vatican envoy. The Cuban government also signed two U.N. human rights conventions that Fidel Castro long refused to support, contending they represented interference in the island's domestic affairs.

Reporters Without Borders called on the Cuban government to release the critics still in prison and allow free expression in the country.

The organization also appealed to European embassies in Havana to open their doors to the dissident press and urged the U.S. government to lift restrictions on Cuban access to the Internet and international contacts.

Source

Cuban Women March for Political Prisoners' Release

2008-03-16T20:46:00.000-07:00

About two dozen women marched in Havana on Friday [March 14, 2008] to demand the release of their husbands and other political prisoners ahead of the fifth anniversary of a crackdown on dissent.

Of the 75 government critics arrested March 18-19, 2003, and given long prison terms, 55 remain imprisoned. Sixteen were released early on medical parole and another four were freed into forced exile in Spain last month.

Next week's anniversary "is very painful for us," said Laura Pollan of the Ladies in White, a support group for wives of political prisoners. Pollan's husband, Hector Maseda, was arrested and sentenced to 20 years.

Cuba accused the independent journalists, rights activists and other opposition members of being U.S. mercenaries working to undermine the communist government. The dissidents and American officials reject that charge.

Cuba currently holds 234 prisoners of conscience, according to a report early this year by the Havana-based Cuban Commission for Human Rights and National Reconciliation.

That's down from 246 last June — continuing a decline since Raul Castro took over provisionally for his ailing brother Fidel in July 2006, when it listed 316.

Source

Cuban Repression Machinery Remains Intact

2008-03-02T09:10:00.000-08:00

despite King Fidel's stepping down and the symbolic (but not yet binding) signature of two UN treaties on human rights, Cuba continues to be a repressive country that jails people for their beliefs.

Human Rights Watch calls it right:

For almost five decades, Cuba has restricted nearly all avenues of political dissent. Cuban citizens have been systematically deprived of their fundamental rights to free expression, privacy, association, assembly, movement, and due process of law. Tactics for enforcing political conformity have included police warnings, surveillance, short-term detentions, house arrests, travel restrictions, criminal prosecutions, and politically motivated dismissals from employment.

Cuba’s legal and institutional structures have been at the root of its rights violations. The rights to freedom of expression, association, assembly, movement, and the press are strictly limited under Cuban law. By criminalizing enemy propaganda, the spreading of “unauthorized news,” and insult to patriotic symbols, the government curbs freedom of speech under the guise of protecting state security. The courts are not independent; they undermine the right to fair trial by restricting the right to a defense, and frequently fail to observe the few due process rights available to defendants under domestic law.

Source

Cuba's supporters world-wide, who have long turned a blind eye to Cuba's human rights violations (because they like Cuba's anti-U.S. stance) must do the right thing and force King Raul to realize that acceptance of his new government must be predicated upon Cuba's guarantees of human rights for its citizens.

Cuba Signs Treaties Everybody Else Signed in 1966

2008-03-02T08:57:00.000-08:00

better late than never, i guess

forty two years late, Cuba gets around to signing two important 1966 treaties on human rights (the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which includes the right to freedom of association in trade unions or political parties and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, which deals with matters like the rights to employment and health care).

under King Fidel, Cuba steadfastly refused to sign these treaties, refusing to let the UN oversee its treatment of dissidents and prisoners of conscience.

despite signature, the treaties are not yet legally binding on Cuba. Cuba has to ratify them internally before they become binding. it will be interesting to see how long it takes Cuba to get around to taking this second and critical step.

additionally, Cuba has not indicated whether it will approve an optional protocol which would allow Cuban citizens to complain directly to the UN. it will be interesting to see if King Raul allows this protocol.

as to what this (belated) signing means, alas, it was in the works long ago, and it was done with the full approval of King Fidel before he stepped down. (in December of 2007, Cuba announced its intention to sign the two agreements, saying Cuba would allow scrutiny by the recently established UN Human Rights Council in 2009).

as such, it is not a true signal of King Raul's new direction, but rather a PR move planned ahead of the transition and calculated to generate good will for the new dictator.

we will know King Raul is serious when the treaty is ratified by Cuba and becomes binding. right now, all we have are pretty words on a piece of paper.

another thing to keep in mind: Cuba is one of a minority of members of the Organisation of American States (OAS) that hasn't yet signed the American Convention on Human Rights.

Cuba must sign and ratify these treaties. Cuba must be monitored internationally for human rights violations. human rights violations in Cuba must cease.

the free ride Cuba has gotten from supporters worldwide (who will downplay Cuba's human rights violation record because they like its anti-U.S. stance) must step up to the plate and force King Raul into the 21st Century.

Sources:

BBC
Radio Netherlands

King Raul Continues to Consolidate

2008-02-27T08:28:00.000-08:00

after appointing General Julio Casas Regueiro as a Vice President to the Council of State, King Raul has named him as Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (MINFAR).

Raul was the long-time minister of MINFAR, and Casas Regueiro his long-time deputy minister.

the announcement appears to have been made only via editorial in Granma, and has not received wide coverage in Cuba or in the international press:

"[Raul Castro's] replacement to lead the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces will be Army General Julio Casas Regueiro, his right hand during these past years."

thus continues the transition to more of the same oppression for the Cuban people

King Raul Picks Two Key Men

2008-02-24T14:56:00.001-08:00

more important than today's "election" of Raul Castro as Cuba's official leader (everybody knew that was coming) is who else got "elected" along with him.

Jose Ramon Machado Ventura was elected as First Vice President (the position Raul held while Castro was President of the Council). According to GlobalSecurity.org, Machado is largely seen as Raul Castro's right-hand man. Born in 1930, Machado is known in Cuba as a "historico" or a member of the original Cuban Revolution against the Batista government. Machado was trained as a physician and cared for members of Castro's rebel army.

Machado's pick as First Vice President signifies both a continuation of the "old guard" in key roles (as opposed to opening the top layers of power to new blood) and a clear signal that Raul continues to maneuver his people into key positions.

the others "elected" to Vice Presidential spots are Juan Almeida Bosque, Abelardo Colomé Ibarra, Carlos Lage Dávila, Esteban Lazo Hernández y Julio Casas Regueiro. All of these, except for Casas Regueiro were already Vice Presidents in the Council.

Julio Casas Regueiro is the only new Vice President to the Council. As the only newcomer, it is significant that he is so closely associated with Raul Castro. Casas Regueiro is a General in the Army, and the Deputy Minister of the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (MINFAR) (Raul Castro is the Minister). Casas Regueiro is also in charge of GAE S.A., which is the holding company for the commercial activities belonging to MINFAR. It manages much of Cuba's lucrative tourist industry (such as the company Gaviota) along with agriculture, import-export businesses, retail stores, and other enterprises. In other words, he is the consummate Raul insider.

the "elections" today are consistent with Raul's positioning of men loyal to him into key positions since Fidel became ill. they are also consistent with his slow approach to change rather than a wholesale turning over at the top levels of the Council.

another signal of how smooth this transition is supposed to be is that José Miyar Barrueco, a long time Fidel aide, will continue on as the Council Secretary.

Prince Regent Raul Gets His Crown

2008-02-24T08:53:00.001-08:00

today, at 2:30 pm EST, the Cuban National Assembly (every single one of them a Communist Party member, and every single one of them aware of what is expected of them) will name the new President of the Council of State, i.e. the official Cuban head honcho.

no one expects anyone other than Prince Regent Raul to get the nod. in fact, Fidel made it clear before his illness that Raul was his successor of choice. likewise, when Fidel had a fainting spell some years ago during a speech, the party hack who came to the microphone called for calm from the crowd: "All is in order. Companero Raul is in charge, as has been determined."

the people of Cuba have little choice as to who their new leader is. this is so obvious that to say it again seems risible. the so called "elections" leading up to this point are meaningless, as no real opposition is permitted to run against Communist party hacks. the real dissidents are in jail or under house arrest, or under constant threat of physical violence if they step out of line.

no, the real issue is how free will Raul be to implement his own policies. he is more pragmatic than Fidel, and will almost certainly move towards a China-style capitalization of Cuba. in fact, in small ways, he's already been doing that, focusing his speeches on the need to reorganize, streamline, and optimize government (mis)management of the economy, which, as the last 50 years show, has been a complete and unmitigated disaster.

Raul's balancing act will be to open up economic opportunities without upsetting his very powerful brother and without creating any expectations of political reforms. the only way to get Cuba's economy really moving is to allow the private sector (as in China) to participate in and even dominate the economy. Raul knows this, and seems willing (unlike his brother Fidel) to give it a go.

However, Raul has certainly given no indication of any willingness to give up political power -- quite the opposite: he has consolidated power around him during the past two years by careful appointments and personnel reshuffling. today, his power in Cuba is unquestioned, and the transition has already been accomplished. the only threat to Raul, ironically, is his brother Fidel. but more on that later.

so what is in store for Cuba? Continued political repression and human rights violations, continued war on its dissidents, and continued existence under a military dictatorship.

what will change? movement towards private enterprise, a breaking of the state monopoly on economic activity, and China-like encouragement of entrepreneurship.

the only question is, how far can Raul take these reforms while his brother is still alive?

and will Fidel be able to remain silent and on the sidelines if Raul's policy displeases him?

one almost feels as if King Lear were being replayed in a tropical stage. Raul's only threat comes from Fidel. will the old King, now sidelined by choice, choose to come back into center stage if he becomes displeased with Raul's policies? and will Raul be willing to give up what power he has at that point? Raul knows that he must go slow lest he displease Fidel. so long as Fidel lives, Raul lives in the shadow of a very likely political comeback by his older brother.

one thing is certain: by not accepting an official title, Fidel's authority and real power are in no way diminished. so long as he lives, Fidel is the real power in Cuba.

Raul knows this. It will be interesting to see how he uses what power this new development will give him. he will certainly have to go slow, for he knows Big Brother is watching.

King Fidel's Cuba-Sized Ego

2008-02-21T12:33:00.000-08:00

nay, not Cuba-Sized ... continent-sized, planet-sized, star-sized

in his February 18, 2008 letter published by the official Cuban press, King Fidel states that he won't accept his official title again (President of the Council of State -- though he retains the titles of First Secretary of the Cuban Communist Party and is still a member of the Council of Ministers).

He is, he states, too ill to fully carry on officially. Instead, he'll continue to exercise his power behind the scenes and publishing his regular essays in Cuba's official newspaper.

in so doing, King Fidel can't help but betray his magnificent ego and sense of self-importance. he writes:

"I always had the necessary prerequisites to carry the revolution's work forward with the support of the immense majority of the people." ("Siempre dispuse de las prerrogativas necesarias para llevar adelante la obra revolucionaria con el apoyo de la inmensa mayoría del pueblo.")

And what exactly are the prerequisites for a dictator who has ruled a one-party regime without free and open elections for 50 years? the ability to silence all opponents and jail unarmed dissidents after brief show trials. excellent skills to have, for a tyrant.

he goes on to write:

"Preparing [the Cuban people] for my absence, psychologically and politically, was my first obligation after so many years of struggle." ("Prepararlo para mi ausencia, sicológica y políticamente, era mi primera obligación después de tantos años de lucha.")

of course, he means "after so many years of oppression." Fifty years, to be precise.

let us repeat this and let it sink in. King Fidel has ruled Cuba without free and open elections for 50 years. And yet, he can say with a straight face that he has the support of the "immense" majority of the people.

the people have been not so much supportive as oppressed. and they are still oppressed by the machinery of the state, which will go on (for how long is the only question) after King Fidel dies.

they may celebrate wildly in the streets yet, when they are rid of Prince Regent Raul and all his instruments of repression.

you better believe they are "psychologically and politically" ready for the absence of the the tyrant, no matter what pretty words he uses to disguise his dictatorship

Dr. Oscar Elias Biscet

2007-11-08T18:59:00.000-08:00

next time someone starts rhapsodizing about the Cuban paradise,
just say one name: Oscar Elias Biscet. he is by far not alone as a
political prisoner in Cuba, but he is probably amongst the best known.

this is a replica of the cell he is kept in:

his crime?

he first criticized the Cuban death penalty and "abortion" techniques (including final trimester live births which are treated as abortions with the infant smothered shortly thereafter). In 1997, he began the Lawton Foundation for Human Rights, which seeks "to establish in Cuba a state based on the rule of law" and "sustained upon the Universal Declaration of Human Rights."

In 1999, he was given a three-year sentence for "disrespecting patriotic symbols." To protest the regime's repression, he had hung a Cuban flag upside down. He was then sentenced to 25 years on April 7, 2003, in a massive crackdown on human rights activists across the island.

Human rights group Amnesty International and other organizations consider Dr. Biscet, a prisoner of conscience.

So, again, I ask, what is his crime?

I guess his crime is to have been born a free man in King Castro's Cuba.

FreeBiscet.org

Rubber Stamp Elections

2007-10-06T09:53:00.000-07:00

ok ... so Cuban authorities are touting the ongoing "elections" in the country as a sign of Cuban "democracy."

what exactly is this "democracy"?

first, of the roughly 15,000 local and national positions at issue, every single one (every single one) will be filled by a Communist Party member. not a member of the Communist Party? you ain't gonna make it.

sounds democratic, right?

well, it gets worse. say you are a member of the Communist Party and get elected, now what? you have no power to propose legislation or in fact initiate any meaningful change. your entire job is to rubber-stamp what the national leadership (i.e. Fidel, Raul, and their inner circle) propose.

so ... these "democratic" elections consist of electing a single party to office, and then having all those people rubber-stamp what the leadership proposes.

sounds democratic to me.

Source

One Cuban's Reaction to Prince Regent Raul's Speech

2007-07-31T09:24:00.000-07:00

during the July 26 celebration speech, Raul admitted Cubans don't make enough (ya think?) and that agriculture is a horror, incapable of providing food for Cubans (ya think?)

some people read a promise of economic reform in his words; others see the same-old-same-old

i fear history is with the later group:

"People feel encouraged. The speech shows that Raul is in charge now. Changes are coming," said a Havana maid who asked not to be named.

Her husband was less optimistic. "We've heard the same story for years. I can only afford vegetables on my pay, never meat," he said before his wife shut him up, saying he could be arrested.

Source

life is hard in a police state, and getting enough to eat is the least of your worries

King Fidel's Recovery Prompts New Exodus

2007-07-30T14:31:00.000-07:00

despite what Cuba's official mouthpieces may say, the recovery of King Fidel is causing more and more Cubans to set out for the U.S.

while most Cubans had hoped for changes in the wake of King Fidel's ... well ... wake, those hopes have been dashed by the King's recovery.

facing more of the same, Cubans are taking to the high seas again:

After a lull following Fidel Castro's illness last year, Cubans once again are taking to homemade boats or powerful speedboats manned by smugglers on a trip to the United States that often includes a detour through Mexico.

...

So far this fiscal year, 2,819 Cubans have made it ashore in Florida, compared with 3,076 in all of last year, said U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman Zachary Mann.

The number of Cubans intercepted in the Florida Straits are still below -- but likely to exceed -- last year's 2,810, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

That was the highest number since the 1994 exodus when the Coast Guard picked up more than 35,000 people floating off Cuba in all kinds of rafts when Castro opened the doors briefly.

Source

of course, those Cubans must not have watched Michael Moore's Sicko, or they would know better than to flee a country with such wonderful health care.

Michael Moore Gets it Wrong on Cuba

2007-07-19T20:39:00.000-07:00

first, i must say that i more or less like Michael Moore's view on the world. it's a lot better than, say, George W. Bush and company's.

nevertheless, let's call an ace an ace. according to the World Health Organization, the US is ahead of Cuba in health system performance (US 37, Cuba 39)

don't believe me?

http://www.who.int/whr/2000/en/whr00_annex_en.pdf

yes, it is quite a feat that Cuba can be that close to the US. but no, the price is not worth paying. no free press, no free speech, no free elections in 48 years, an abominable standard of living for everybody except the party cadres, journalists in jail for daring to speak their minds

whatever happened to "Live Free or Die?"

in Cuba, it's "Live Safe in Slavery"

and despite all its vaunted claims, the Cuban health system is behind the US.

but don't take it from me. take it from the people who voted with their feet as to where they'd rather be. remember Mariel? remember the balseros? have you seen pictures of the lines at the U.S. Interest section in Havana for exit visas?

King Fidel the Magician

2007-07-17T20:10:00.000-07:00

still clinging to power, King Fidel continues to delay Cuba's progress. his death could free his brother Raul to initiate more sensible reforms than Fidel is capable of (don't forget, Raul runs the tourism industry and the Army, the two things that work in Cuba).

instead, Fidel continues to try and cast his almost-half-a-century old magic ... despite several operations and a long convalescence, King Fidel continues to improve (does he seriously believe all Cubans are equal? do all Cubans have access to foreign doctors like he does?)

the reality: Fidel is a military dictator who has ruled over a single-party system in Cuba since 1959 without open and free elections and who has presided over the economic ruin of one of the Caribbean's once-leading economies ...

the magic: from his sick bed, Fidel riles against the US and capitalism ... who can provide their citizens a better standard of living than he can ...

alas ... the old magician fumbles his once impressive tricks

Female Episcopalian Bishop Named In Cuba

2007-02-08T18:31:00.000-08:00

Reverend Nerva Cot, a Cuban Episcopalian priest, has just been named Bishop, the first Episcopalian woman ever to be so named in a Third World Country.

her appointment as one of two new auxiliary bishops in Cuba was announced on Sunday at a ceremony attended by Canada's Archbishop Andrew Hutchison and U.S. Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori, the first woman elected to lead the church in the United States.

Nerva Cot (right)

Official government policy during the 60's, 70's, and 80's was to oppose church membership, with hostility and outright harassment directed at anyone declaring a religious affiliation. membership in the Communist Party (and thus access to better jobs and career advancement) was denied to anyone who attended church.

during the 90's, as the full effect of the Soviet collapse hit Cuba, many flocked to churches for help in coping with the difficult times. the government essentially recognized the growing popularity of churches in Cuba and allowed religious worship even for Communist Party members in the early 90's.

still, tensions between the government and religious figures can run high. recently, Pastor Carlos Lamelas was charged with "human trafficking" and brought to trial, despite the lack of evidence to that effect. Observers believe he is being persecuted for his religious beliefs, as have other religious figures in Cuba.

Pastor Lamelas was acquitted of the charge of human trafficking this past December, but fined $1,000 Cuban pesos (approximately five month's salary for the average Cuban) for "falsifying documents," a charge that had not been previously made against him.

King Fidel on Cuban T.V. Again

2007-01-30T17:53:00.000-08:00

Cuban state t.v. has released a video of King Fidel and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez taken this past Monday. Fidel reads a headline from Argentina's Clarin dated January 29, 2007. A printout of a story showing Clarin's logo and the date of the story are shown in the video.

there are samples from the video here and here.

the video does not show Fidel walking, as the last one did. rather, he is shown standing, taking only a few steps, or sitting. this tells me that Fidel is still having great difficulty walking, as shown last time around.

he has difficulty speaking as well, as he did in the last video. at times, his responses to Chavez seem disjointed, but that may be because he slurs some of his words.

when reading from Clarin about global warming, Fidel is quick to launch into an attack on capitalist society, which he says is threatening the human species. that much is vintage Fidel.

the video certainly shows that Fidel can stand, sit, talk, and rail against his standard better noir. however, Fidel is still frail and obviously nowhere near being able to resume day-to-day control of Cuban affairs.

Bill Introduced to Lift Travel Ban to Cuba

2007-01-28T17:09:00.000-08:00

Charles Rangel, the chairman of the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, introduced a measure January 24, 2007, to end the US ban on travel to Cuba.

Rangel, a New York Democrat, said he and others will offer measures to relax limits on sending money to Cuba and payment restrictions on the sale of farm goods. With Democrats in control of Congress and Bush almost certainly to be replaced by a Democrat in 2009, even the end of the 48-year-old-embargo may be in sight.

source

Cuba Uses Abortion to Keep Infant Mortality Low

2007-01-28T16:52:00.000-08:00

cuba boasts of its very low infant mortality rate: at 5.3 deaths per 1,000 births, lower than the U.S. (at 6.0 per 1,000 births) and much lower than the rest of Latin America.

but a few things look suspicious.

first, Cuba published its 2006 figures TWO DAYS after 2006 was over. the U.S. takes two years to do the same thing (last available figures for the U.S. are for 2004).

most alarming of all is the emphasis that Cuba puts on that figure. it is its showcase statistic, the one brandied about when any criticism of the system comes up. "Yeah, we may arrest journalists and beat opposition members up, but our infant mortality rate is lower than the U.S."

and how exactly is that managed?

Some doctors say they were told to use any means possible to keep the infant mortality rate low. Jesús Monzón, an obstetrician-gynecologist in Pinar del Río until he left in 1995, says pregnant mothers were required to appear monthly for sonograms and other tests to make certain the fetus was healthy.

''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.

Néstor Viamonte, a primary-care doctor in Ciego de Aguila until 2003, says all Cuban doctors are told to focus on babies. Infants under 1 and those with serious chronic diseases were the only ones who could get in to see a doctor without waiting days for an appointment.

Mothers were required to bring in their babies monthly for examinations. Babies who died in the first month were reported to have died before birth to keep the numbers low, Viamonte said.

Source

Tourism Drop in Cuba

2007-01-27T21:03:00.000-08:00

tourism (now Cuba's main hard-currency earner) dropped by 3.6% last year.

visitors fell to 2.2 million last year from 2.3 million in 2005. it was the first drop since the Sept. 11 attacks on the United States hurt the travel industry worldwide in 2002. it was not related to King Fidel's illness or any sense of uncertainty over Cuba's future. of course, should Fidel die, things may change.

rather, more mundane concerns played a part: a revalue of Cuban currency by 8% in 2005 made a vacation in Cuba less of a deal. also, the quality of Cuban tourism has never been great, with cited lack of adequate service for tourists, theft of luggage at airports and hotels, and failure to attend to tourist complaints.

King Fidel's Condition "Very Serious"

2007-01-16T17:22:00.000-08:00

according to US doctors commenting on reports in Spain's El Pais, King Fidel's situation is rather serious:

"What you're into is multiple operations with complications and infection in someone his age, you know, the wear and tear is going to start wearing him down, and he's going to get weaker," said Dr. Charles Gerson, a clinical professor of medicine in the gastroenterology division of New York's Mt. Sinai School of Medicine.

U.S. medical experts were also puzzled by El Pais' report that Castro had undergone a third operation to implant a Korean-made prosthesis, possibly an artificial stretch of bowel, after a second failed operation to clean and drain an infected area and perform a colostomy.

"I would say that that would likely be a very risky situation because of the nature of the large intestine, which is a sewage line," said Dr. Stephen Hanauer, chief of gastroenterology at the University of Chicago.

He said the use of a prosthesis in such cases was "experimental" at best and unheard of in the United States.

"I think the prognosis is very grave at this point," said Dr. Roshini Rajapaksa, a gastroenterologist at NYU Medical center and assistant professor at the NYU School of Medicine.

"For an elderly person to undergo major abdominal surgery three times, especially when they're unsuccessful, is a very serious situation."

Source

King Fidel Reported to Have Undergone 3 Surgeries

2007-01-15T20:02:00.000-08:00

according El Pais, a Spanish newspaper, King Fidel has been operated on at least three times:

Castro, 80, suffered a serious infection that worsened to peritonitis, the newspaper's Tuesday edition said, citing two medical sources at the Madrid hospital where a surgeon who visited Castro in December works. The report was posted on the newspaper's Web site on Monday.

Castro's prognosis is "very serious" and he is being fed intravenously, the paper said.

A first operation to extract part of his large intestine and connect the colon to the rectum 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. A third operation implanted a prosthesis, it said.

When Spanish surgeon Jose Luis Garcia Sabrido visited Castro in late December, Cuban doctors were considering another operation, the paper said.

source

No room at the Hilton for the Cuban Government

2007-01-13T19:38:00.000-08:00

trying to obey the US's prohibition that US companies not do business with Cuba, an Oslo (Norway) hotel owned by the Hilton Hotel Corporation refused to let a Cuban delegation book rooms:

The Cuban delegation, set to attend a travel fair in Oslo this month, planned to stay at the Scandic Edderkoppen Hotel in the city center, as they had on five previous visits.

However, the 140-hotel Scandic company was bought by Hilton in March, and the Cubans were informed in December that they would have to find another hotel due to the American boycott.

Source

oy vey... of course, now Hilton is coming under criticism, and a boycott of its hotels is underway in Norway.

this illustrates how poorly thought-out US policy is in this respect. it puts US companies in an untenable possition: they either break the law of their host country or US law. either way, they get in trouble

imagine, for example, what would happen if a Saudi Arabian hotel chain did not allow its hotels in the US to book Israeli government delegations because Saudi Arabia has a boycott against Israel.

of course, this is another victory for the Cuban government in the international press. they were notified in December that they needed to make other arrangements. i am sure they decided not to in order to create just this sort of black eye for the US.

Cuba has been waging (and winning) a very effective guerrilla media war against the US for decades now.

Babalaos Issue 2007 Predictions for Cuba

2007-01-04T16:24:00.000-08:00

babalaos (or high priests) of the Santeria religion in Cuba issued their customary predictions for the coming year. usually the predictions are so vague that you can't really say if they came true or not, but Cubans wait for this crap like American investors wait for stock newsletters to figure out the "great next stock" ... ah well...

anyway, in politicized Cuba, there are two main groups of Babalaos -- the "official" Babalaos and the "other guys."

the official Babalaos, taking a page from your average government report, predict "legal problems and their repercussions, which could bring as a consequence an increase in corruption and crime." because, you know, there's not enough corruption and crime in Cuba already. nevertheless, the hint of upheaval has been interpreted as being, for sure, not a good thing.

the "other guys" made quite more dire predictions:

-- 2007 would be marked by wars and ''military interventions'' although the island will see an economic improvement based on the discovery of oil and mineral deposits.

-- "The panorama that presents itself to us is a little funereal,'' said babalao Lázaro Cuesta, who read the year's prediction. "When one doesn't leave his place at its proper time, one runs the risk that unpredictable things happen.''

babalao Lazaro Cuesta

wow ... war ... military interventions .... a little funeral ... unpredictable things ... definitely not good. but these guys predicted military interventions back in 2005 and ... well.. not much happened ... so ... i don't think Prince Regent Raul is quaking in his boots.

back in 2003, they predicted "at the family level, an increase in domestic violence with danger to life and the possible death of women upon being discovered by their mates in adulterous relationships." indeed...

anyway ... we'll keep this in mind and check around next year to see how accurate these predictions were. being ever the contrarian, King Fidel is bound to stay alive for another year, confounding Babalaos and blog-writers alike.

The Cuba Project: Castro, Kennedy, and the FBI's Tamale Squad

2007-01-03T19:13:00.000-08:00

just read this book by Peter Pavia, and I definitely recommend it.

the book is a bit of a contradiction. it is not in-depth, yet it manages to capture the early days of the Cuban revolution and US-Castro relations flawlessly. it is told in an irreverent, Generation-X style, and yet it is full of respect for the men who put their lives on the line for what they believed in. it somehow manages to capture the ad-hoc nature of Castro's victory in Cuba, yet it doesn't belittle the man's undeniable abilities.

i would not take this book as Cuban History 101, but it is an excellent taste of the flavor of that time, particularly from the Cuban-exile, FBI, CIA points of view.

anyway... this one is worth a read.

i did notice one factual error, and that is towards the end of the book. Pavia states that Ernesto "Che" Guevara's body lies lost somewhere in the Bolivian jungle, where he was killed by the Bolivian Army trained and assessed by US Special Forces.

in fact, Che was exhumed in July, 1997, and his remains were brought to Cuba that same year, where a memorial will house them in Santa Clara, site of the pivotal victory in the Cuban Revolution where troops led by Che essentially cut the country in half, leading to Batista's flight less than 12 hours later.

It Was 48 Years Ago Today...

2007-01-01T17:45:00.000-08:00

shortly after (or shortly before) midnight, December 31, 1958, Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista bid his top cronies adieu and got on a plane out of Cuba with his head, his cash, and his family.

Fidel Castro was on the other end of the island, near Santiago de Cuba, when he heard the news of Batista's flight, sometime in the early morning of January 1, 1959.

from that moment on, for better or worse, Fidel became identified with the Revolution, and the Revolution came to be identified with Fidel. and for 47 years, the two were one and the same.

no more. as Fidel lies recovering from some unnamed illness and his brother Raul exercises more and more of his "provisional" power, the reality is that this year will start with someone other than Fidel in charge.

but Fidel's presence is such that even from his deathbed he continues to hold power. Raul can't move on, truly, until Fidel dies. a new chapter can't start, truly, until Fidel dies.

and Fidel, apparently, is refusing to die.

to the last, King Fidel holds Cuba from moving forward into the future

King Fidel Speaks on the Radio

2006-12-30T14:29:00.000-08:00

King Fidel sent a New Year message to the Cuban people, basically saying "I am getting better slowly."

so, let's for now assume the message is legit and Fidel is still alive (i believe he is -- Prince Regent Raul has nothing to gain and much to lose from hiding that fact).

it is clear that Raul has been taking more and more of a lead as the real leader of Cuba; the tension between Fidel saying "I am still in the game" and Raul doing the actual governing is palpable.

as usual, Fidel just won't go gentle into that good night.

Raul Castro Puts it on the Line

2006-12-27T10:47:00.000-08:00

first, let's remember that Prince Regent Raul ran the Army and the tourist industry, the two things in Cuba that work (slight exaggeration only).

and let's remember that whereas King Fidel spoke for hours (sometimes days) during meetings of the National Assembly, Prince Regent Raul has limited himself to brief, content-driven remarks.

Prince Regent Raul has also encouraged those around him to "tell it as it is."

What is clear is that Raul's style and form are very different from Fidel's style and form. Whereas Fidel is the magician keeping an illusion going, Raul appears to be the realist trying to keep the illusion from blotting out reality.

Fidel's style worked for 47 years: the rambling speeches, the ideological absolutes, the positioning of Cuba as David to the U.S.'s Goliath, the subservience of economic progress to the ultimate goal of socialist purity -- or as he put it so often, "Socialism or Death". For Fidel, there was no third option.

Raul, on the other hand, limits his comments to brief statements. He has embraced Chinese-like capitalist means in order to keep his armed forces going (through control of hard-currency earning tourism). Let's also not forget that among his first foreign policy statements were two (yes, two) dialogue initiatives towards the U.S. -- the first ignored, the second rebuked.

Perhaps the biggest difference between Raul and Fidel appear to be that, whereas Fidel's ultimate goal was to keep Cuba socialist no matter the price, Raul appears ready to sacrifice (or at least compromise) socialism to make Cuba work.

Almost immediately upon taking power, he launched a "theft in the workplace" campaign in the media, highlighting one of Cuba's great problems: since only the state has anything worth having, everybody else steals from the state. He also called for "frank" discussions about Cuba's many economic ills.

In recent comments, he stated that the Revolution was tired of excuses, and that bureaucratic delays were "inexplicable." Stating Cuba's public transportation is on the point of collapse, he seems to be calling for major reforms in that sector.

One thing is certain: Prince Regent Raul seems willing to tackle the very apparatus of government bureaucracy as the problem, whereas his brother saw that bureaucracy as the price to be pay to run a socialist dictatorship.

Will Prince Regent Raul be successful in streamlining all (or most) of Cuba's infrastructure and economy as he succesfully did with the Army and tourism?

That appears to be his goal.

We can only wait and see.

US Congressional Delegation Arrives in Cuba

2006-12-16T20:29:00.000-08:00

the bipartisan group arrived in Cuba yesterday, and plan to dine with Ricardo Alarcon, President of the National Assembly.

they are: Reps. Bill Delahunt, D-Mass., Jeff Flake, R-Ariz; Gregory Meeks, D-N.Y.; Lincoln Davis, D-Tenn.; Mike Conaway, R-Texas; Jim McGovern, D-Mass.; Jo Ann Emerson, R-Mo.; Jane Harman, D-Calif.; Jerry Moran, R-Kan.; and Hilda Solis, D-Calif..

the State Department urged them to push for democratic reforms in their meetings with senior Cuban officials.

one wonders if the seeds of real dialogue will be planted during this visit, now that Congress has swung to the Democrats and the next US President seems almost certain to be a Democrat.

the Bush's administration failure to engage Prince Regent Raul in dialogue when he requested it shortly, and now its instructions for the Congressional delegation to push for democratic reform is business as usual with Cuba, and it has gotten exactly the same results as the past 47 years of American policy towards Cuba.

i am convinced that if the US had engaged Cuba in dialogue in the late 1980's, the transition happening in Cuba today would be very different indeed.

think ahead, guys ... think ahead...

Source

this is not to suggest that Cuba's track record is not horrible. for example, after the 2003 Congressional visit, dissidents who met with the US Representatives were jailed shortly thereafter.

i am just saying that the hard line has not worked for 47 years. perhaps a softer approach might get better results. it can hardly get any worse results...

Peaceful Demonstration Quashed

2006-12-12T16:20:00.000-08:00

showing (again) that the official voice is the only one permitted in Cuba, government thugs broke up a peaceful demonstration in Havana this Sunday almost as soon as it began:

Scores of government supporters broke up a silent march by a small group of dissidents marking International Human Rights day on Sunday, roughing up participants and accusing them of being mercenaries and "worms."

The demonstration involving fewer than a dozen opponents in a public park in Havana's Vedado neighborhood was interrupted as soon as it began by burly men who pushed and surrounded participants.

"Long live Fidel and Raul!" the government loyalists chanted, referring to ailing leader Fidel Castro and his brother. "Down with the worms!"

"They are mercenaries!" some of the loyalists shouted of the dissidents.

Another silent opposition march was scheduled Sunday in the early afternoon by the Ladies in White, who march after Roman Catholic Mass every Sunday to call for the release of their husbands and other political prisoners held in Cuban jails.

Source

The "President" In President Castro

2006-12-08T04:55:00.000-08:00

loved this comment on another entry:

After reading about King Fidel, tractor confiscation and other stuff I am confused. I thought Castro was "President" and CUBA was the shining jewel of the success of communism?

Indeed.

King Fidel was "elected" President not by the people, but by the hand-picked National Assembly. He had no opposition and was "elected" unanimously. To be eligible to be "elected" President, you have to be a member of the National Assembly, a position only open to the elite Communist Party hierarchy.

The members of the National Assembly, in turn, run unopposed (only the Communist Party can nominate candidates), and since the Communist Party also counts the votes, well... they win every single time (not a bad formula, eh?).

Too funny, no?

Cuba Among Worst in Jailings of Journalists

2006-12-07T17:23:00.000-08:00

China, Cuba, Eritrea and Ethiopia are the four worst nations when it comes to imprisoning journalists, according to this year's Committee to Protect Journalist's census:

For the eighth year in a row, China led the way in jailing journalists with a total of 31 imprisoned on Dec. 1, the census found, followed by Cuba with 24 reporters behind bars, Eritrea with 23 in jail and Ethiopia with 18 journalists jailed.

As if to highlight Cuba's atrocious treatment of independent journalists, jailed journalist Normando Hernandez Gonzales has been transferred to a prison hospital after serious health problems linked to tuberculosis and gastrointestinal issues led to his collapse after losing 35 lbs of weight.

Hernandez has accused the Cuban government of exposing him to tuberculosis deliberately, as have several other dissidents held in the same prison.

Normando Hernadez Gonzales

Hernandez is serving a 25-year prison term for reporting without authorization on issues such as health, education, the judicial system, tourism, general culture, and Cuban fisheries.

Source in Spanish

Bizarre Love Triangle

2006-12-05T20:03:00.000-08:00

Raul loves Bush who loves Chavez ... who loves himself...

Raul says to Bush: let's talk.

Bush says: No, thanks.

Bush says to Chavez: Can we talk?

Chavez says: No, thanks.

Lesson for Raul: get some oil (like Chavez) and then the US will want to talk to you.

And when the US wants to talk to you, you can then say "No, thanks."

Until then, you're small fry, my small fry man.

Cuban Pastor Trial Underway

2006-12-04T19:53:00.000-08:00

the trial of Cuban protestant pastor Carlos Lamelas started today in Havana. Pastor Lamelas is officially charged with "human trafficking," despite the lack of evidence to that effect. Observers believe he is being persecuted for his religious beliefs:

Lamelas’ case appears to be part of a wider move to restrict religious freedom across the country. A number of pastors and priests have reported increased government harassment and some have reported the forcible closure or destruction of church buildings. At least one other church leader, also from a denomination belonging to the Cuban Council of Churches, was forced to flee the country this summer and has applied for asylum in Europe.

Source.

Bush Administration Squanders Opportunity to Open Dialogue with Cuba

2006-12-04T16:56:00.000-08:00

in a thoroughly predictable manner, the Bush administration has rebuffed Prince Regent Raul's latest attempt to open a dialogue with the U.S.:

The State Department on Monday rejected an offer of talks with Raul Castro, Cuba's acting president, saying it saw no point in a dialogue with what it called the Caribbean island's "dictator-in-waiting."

"The dialogue that should be taking place is not between Raul Castro and any group outside or any country outside of Cuba. It's the regime, with the Cuban people, talking about a transition to a democratic form of governance in that country," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters.

Source

If the U.S. wanted to improve the lot of Cubans and increase the chances of internal dissidents being heard, it will not do so by continuing on the path it has been on for the past 47 years.

Rather, the U.S. should recognize that the embargo has failed to bring freedom to Cubans, and try a different approach. An implicit recognition of Raul's conditions for dialogue (mainly no criticism from the US as to how Cuba treats its internal opposition) may be too far to go, but certainly a response more limited in scope but open to dialogue with Cuba might have been the first step.

Once that first step is taken, who knows where the dialogue may lead? Such a dialogue will by necessity involve the highest levels of government in Cuba, from which ranks the successor of Raul Castro will inevitably come (Raul, you may recall, is 75, a heavy drinker, and has heart problems). What an advantage for the US to be engaged in conversations with the next leader of Cuba!

Sadly, this will not happen under the Bush administration. Its short, curt "no thanks," can not but harden even further the positions on both sides.

Or to put it more bluntly, in the words of The Washington Post's Eugene Robinson,

[T]he Bush administration has been even more idiotic than its predecessors in its policies toward Cuba, which means that the United States is perfectly positioned to have little or no influence over what kind of Cuba finally evolves.

yup...

How Significant is Raul's Olive Branch?

2006-12-03T13:14:00.000-08:00

during Saturday's military parade (a showcase of exactly how obsolete the Cuban military is), Prince Regent Raul saber-rattled (calling his army invincible), and then offered an olive branch to the United States. His words:

"We take this opportunity to once again state that we are willing to resolve at the negotiating table the long-standing dispute between the United States and Cuba."

Source

Prince Regent Raul made roughly the same statement after taking over from King Fidel a few months back. His conditions for the dialogue? The U.S. government must respect Cuba's independence and not interfere in its internal affairs.

Prince Regent Raul showing his age

What does Raul want? The same deal China has: it can do business with the US and the US asks few questions about how China treats its citizens, dissidents included.

However, the differences between China and Cuba are staggering. China is an enormous and emerging economic power, one the US can't afford to have scruples with. Cuba, on the other hand, is a backwater, insignificant country, and it costs the United States little to stand firm on its moral ground.

This, perhaps, is Cuba's great tragedy. Its leaders (first Fidel and now Raul) believe they are far more important in the scheme of things than they really are.

Independent Journalists Report on Raul's Parade

2006-12-02T23:35:00.000-08:00

here are excerpts of two stories written in Cuba, by independent journalists, reflecting the Cuban people's response to the much-ballyhooed military parade that took place today:

José Antonio Fornaris, Cuba-Truth:

In Cuba, it seems the American embargo has no effect on the purchase of weapons by the government. A good thing would be that next December 2, new public buses should parade through the Plaza of the Revolution, which would then be put to the service of the people.

Perhaps the soldiers could carry bags of food rather than rifles, which would then be sold at affordable prices to all Cubans. Also, the parade should include scale models of new housing, which the country needs so desperately.

The government's waste in weapons purchases reaches the billions since 1959, despite the acute needs of all types which our people suffer.

Leonel Alberto Perez Belette:

One of my neighbors used to say that when someone needs to prove his strength, that means his weakness, or insecurity, is strong indeed . . . . He added that in the Soviet Union, similar parades were held, and the whole system crumbled in a matter of days without a shot being fired. It fell thus because it was propped on an economic lie and the strength of its repressive apparatus.

The actual acting president, Raul Castro, has prepared a parade with hundreds of combat vehicles, tanks, rocket launchers, other military equipment, thousands of soldiers, and even aviation. Rehearsals have been taking place over the last few days, as well as the "spontaneous" show of support by the people . . . .

The vehicles and planes taking place in the parade are, in large part, from the Soviet era, and they consume enormous quantities of fuel. They were refurbished in great detail, and the paint on them is still fresh. Thus, the cost in repairs and fuel of the parade must be in the millions of dollars. Another cost is the damage to the streets, easily seen after the tracked vehicles go by . . . .

These [expenses] are taking place in the middle of an economic crisis felt all too well in Cuban homes, even as Christmas arrives at our doors. Food prices continue to rise; the bulk of the population live by breaking the law and being creative, and a lucky few survive with dollars received from outside Cuba. In the meantime, the Castro family and their cronies waste the resources generated by the people in order to satisfy their Napoleonic dreams.

King Fidel a No-Show

2006-12-02T16:12:00.000-08:00

... on the military parade to celebrate his (belated) 80th birthday, King Fidel was missing.

Prince Regent Raul gave a saber-rattling speech about Cuba's military being "invincible" (something even he does not believe, being the realist that he is), and then made an offer of dialogue to the United States.

the speech was directed at the Cuban people: Fidel or no Fidel, the regime goes on. it was also directed at the United States: we'll talk, but on our terms.

Prince Regent Raul waves a
Cuban flag during the celebrations

The celebrations came to an end, and King Fidel continues to ail. many Cubans now believe he will never return to lead them.

the best expression of the day was an old man interviewed by the New York Times:

“The old man is as weak as me,” said the man, in his 70s, who sells copies of the Communist Party newspaper from the wheelchair he has used since losing a leg to gangrene. “I will outlast him.”

thus the fate of tyrants: the people they oppress always outlast them, and they get to have the last word.

On Any Given Saturday

2006-12-01T20:26:00.000-08:00

well... more precisely, on December 2, 2006, the Cuban army, better known as the Revolutionary Armed Forces (Fuerzas Armadas Revolutionarias, or FAR in Spanish) will parade in Havana to celebrate its own 50th birthday as a fighting force and its Founder and Commander in Chief, His Revolutionary Highness King Fidel's belated 80th birthday.

FAR's parade will consist of obsolete Soviet-era armored vehicles, MiGs, and quite a few of the estimated 60,000 soldiers in its ranks, an 80% drop from the days where FAR fought the South African army to a standstill in Angola.

alas, how times change.

or do they?

who is the intended audience for this parade? Cuban propaganda says it is to show the United States how strong Cuba still is.

yeah, right. FAR doesn't stand a chance against a sincere US invasion, and they know it.

who is the intended audience, then?

first, the Cuban people. for them, the parade says: we still have the guns and the planes to blow you to kingdom come if you should rise against us. look how strong we are. there is no point in fighting us. your only course of action is to remain passive.

second, its trading partners and economic benefactors. for them, the parade says: look, there is continuity in Cuba. King Fidel may pass away, but Prince Regent Raul has things well under control. look at our parade. look at how stable this nation is.

King Fidel, of course, was supposed to maybe, perhaps, attend the parade in his honor, if possible ... but chances are he is much to ill to attend.

it really makes no difference.

meet the new boss, same as the old boss...

Acts of Civil Protest Increase in Cuba

2006-11-30T17:18:00.000-08:00

according to the Miami-based Cuban Democratic Directorate, acts of civil protest inside Cuba nearly doubled from 2004 to 2005.

some highlights of the findings:

• The 3,322 acts logged in 2005 -- including 2,613 vigils -- represent an 85 percent increase over the 1,805 acts of civil disobedience in 2004.

• The central province of Villa Clara appears to be a hotbed of political opposition, logging far more protests than any other province. Even though nearly all of the island's internationally known dissident activists live in Havana, only 11 percent of last year's civil disobedience took place there.

• 25 hunger strikes were held by prisoners.

• The Ladies in White, the group of female relatives of the 75 political prisoners picked up in the 2003 sweep, held 182 different protests.

source

Build Your Tractor -- And it Will Be Confiscated

2006-11-29T16:16:00.000-08:00

which goes to show you that in Cubaland, any sort of initiative is quickly crushed by the powers that be. the original article is in Spanish:

Santa Clara, Cuba,
November 28, 2006
By Benito Key (Cubanacan Press / www.cubanet.org)

Ricardo Betancourt Rodriguez, a farmer, had his tractor confiscated this past November 22.

Betancourt was stopped and searched as he drove home by the National Revolutionary Police auxiliary officer Raul Gonzalo.

Bernardo Arevalo Padron, an independent journalist, reported that the tractor was taken to the local police station. That same day, while in custody, Betancourt was informed that his vehicle would be permanently confiscated, as it had been assembled by Betancourt from parts salvaged from non-working tractors. Thus, he was told, he did not have title to the vehicle, in addition to which, tractor sales to individuals are not permitted in Cuba.

typical of Cubaland b.s. -- the government can't provide tractors to those who need it, and won't let individuals provide for themselves.

Cuba's Economy Grows -- Of Course

2006-11-28T17:23:00.000-08:00

Cuba reports that its economy grew at 12.5% for 2006 (though most neutral observers believe the figure is closer to 9%).

let's put this in perspective: when the Soviet Union dive-bombed itself into oblivion, Cuba's GDP fell 35%, and it still has not recovered.

so... what is the secret of Cuba's recent success? you can sum up Cuba's strategy in five words:

find a new sugar daddy.

yep... after the Russians said "do svidanya" and took their billions in aid with them, Cuba's artificially built social services crumbed: no medicine, no pencils, no housing, oh my.

the collapse indicated just how dependent on Soviet aid Cuba had become: a junkie slapping its veins and asking for more.

enter the most honorable Kingdom of the Middle Lands (sound of gong). Chinese subsidies to Cuba have increased steadily over the last few years, not to mention soft trade and development credits. regular trade between the two nations is also growing exponentially, and it should reach almost $3 billion by next year.

oh, and let's not forget the New Marxist Oil Caudillo, Venezuela's Chavez, who is literally pumping free gas for Cuba in exchange for mostly symbolic medical aid and other services.

find a new sugar daddy.

that's all the Communist regime knows how to do. the only way it can keep itself (and its domination over the people) going is through an artificially supported "revolution" that is now 47 years old and still can't support itself.

hey, if Cuba were a son or daughter, it'd probably would have gotten kicked out of its parents garage apartment a long time ago and told to go make its own way in the world.

find a new sugar daddy ...

Transfer of Power Well Underway

2006-11-28T17:10:00.000-08:00

the (postponed) celebrations for King Fidel's 80th birthday will start this Thursday, ending with a military parade that King Fidel may (or may not) attend.

really, the point is moot. King Fidel, as last month's video shows, will not be in any shape to lead the country for a long time to come ... if he ever does again.

and that point is also moot ... it is clear that Prince Regent Raul has moved into power, put his people in key places, and set out to imprint Cubaland's governance with his own style: low key, behind the scenes, but absolutely ruthless if he needs to be (his recent round of firings of leading officials is a clear reminder of that).

so ... as several news sources have pointed out, Raul is in charge, and he is taking charge.

whether Fidel shows up on Sunday is just window dressing. there can only be one dictator in a dictatorship, and that man is Raul ... while I firmly believe that Raul would hand power back to Fidel should Fidel be in a position to ask for it, every day that Raul spends in charge of Cubaland lessens the possibility that Raul will think his brother is in a position to ask for his power back.

ah, the fate of dictators...

.

Mi Cuba, Part III

2006-11-20T16:53:00.000-08:00

here is the third part of my on-going clips on Cuba ... this one is set to the music of Trio Matamoros "El que Siembra su Maiz"

the young women featured towards the middle are Cuban minors (around 15 years old) who are engaging in prostitution with tourists in order to make ends meet.

Even My Local Newspaper Calls for End to Embargo

2006-11-17T22:54:00.000-08:00

the (Jacksonville) Florida Times-Union has called for an end to the embargo. what's next? will they be endorsing Hillary Clinton for president? hardly (i'd vote for her).

anway, when even a conservative newspaper like the Times-Union is calling for an end to the embargo, maybe President Bush should listen (certainly the next president should listen).

here's the Times-Union editorial (this almost makes me want to get a subscription .... almost):

CUBA: Let bygones be bygones

The Bush administration is interested in ending a decades-old trade embargo on Cuba.

But the condition - that Cuba adopt democratic reforms - isn't practical.

Fidel Castro is ill - The Associated Press quotes sources as speculating that he likely will die of inoperable stomach cancer sometime next year - and the new ruler, Raul Castro, appears to be approachable.

At this moment, however, Cuba's impoverished people need the economic benefits of trade more urgently than they need free elections.

Why not drop the embargo unconditionally?

Not only would that help the people, it might more effectively promote long-term U.S. interests than the current policy, which risks antagonizing Raul Castro in the early days of his rule.

At one time, the embargo may have made sense. That is long past.

In 1959, when Fidel Castro seized power, foreigners controlled 75 percent of the land, according to global exchange.org.

Castro, finding that intolerable, began nationalizing U.S. property. America responded with the embargo. Since then, the goals of the embargo have been to force Cuba to return property, to punish it for its alliance with the Soviets, or to force democratic reforms.

But, China still was Marxist, and it had a worse human rights record. Anyone remember Tiananmen Square? There was no trade embargo against China.

Vietnam was Marxist, and America had fought the longest war in its history. Yet, we trade with Vietnam.

U.S. interests would be served by forging coalitions, not twisting the arms of adversaries past.

Source

Mi Cuba, Part II

2006-11-15T19:47:00.000-08:00

this is a video of me reminiscing of the town in which I was born -- Caibarien, Cuba.

the video is part of a very short movie i am putting together about Cuba and coming to the U.S.

the first part, a sort of introduction in images, can be found here.

Ideological Distractions: An Essay from Cuba

2006-11-15T17:58:00.000-08:00

this is a translation from the Spanish of Shelyn Rojas's essay. She is an independent journalist, and lives in Cuba, where she wrote this essay. She could face jail for so doing.

IDEOLOGICAL DISTRACTIONS
by Shelyn Rojas

LA HABANA, Cuba - Noviembre (www.cubanet.org) - I was born in 1967. In school, I was a Pioneer [a mandatory student organization organized and run by the Communist Party].
I hasten to add that has been my only participation in this government. Aside from liking the Russians, all other habits were catalogued as ideological distractions.

In school, the language I had to study to advance in grade was Russian. Part of the history we were taught had the Soviet Union for a protagonist. I have always enjoyed reading, but out of spite, I went to the movies rather than reading my assigned books.

One night in the Charles Chaplin movie theater I was watching the Russian movie The Great War for the Motherland. It was the third part of the movie, after more than three hours of watching, and I looked around -- our group of less than ten students was the only one left. We had to watch the movie to the end. We were going to be tested on it.

I remember when Russian slippers were in fashion, and the matriushkas. Food came in cans from that far-away land. TVs were also Russian, labeled "Kpbim." When the reception got bad, you could fix them by hitting them.

My grandmother, who was 77 years old, used to complain: "The subtitles on the few American movies they show are so small you can barely read them. But for these Russian movies, I don't need to put on my glasses. No one can stand to watch them."

Everything was Russian. We called our Soviet comrades "bolos." Faced with so much from bolo-land, most young Cubans grew up listening to rock and roll and dreaming of emigrating northward.

When communism fell, we stopped studying Russian. The new t.v.'s were called Pandas, and were discussed at length by neighbors at Committee for the Defense of the Revolution meetings. "Kpbim" TVs became obsolete. Not even hitting them could fix them.

As far as shoes, clothes, food, and movies -- nothing. We Cubans had to improvise to survive and become what we are today: bad negotiators triyng to do business with Latin America and China; the stepchildren of Chavez and godparents to Evo Morales.

The habit of not watching much t.v. remains with me. I prefer to listen to music and read. Lately, the only two times I've sat in front of a t.v. screen, I have seen the beginning of a Chinese movie.

My experience have been traumatic and unforgetabble. I pity this generation. I can see them now, studing Chinese, with Chinese fads, clothes, and canned food. It starts with cooking ware and t.v.'s.

If we don't find a quick solution, I am not sure what will become of this generation. I understand them, and feel for them

Shelyn2005@hotmail.com

UN Hypocrisy towards Cuba

2006-11-14T16:38:00.000-08:00

recently, the UN voted to have the US end its economic embargo of Cuba (they've voted the same thing for the past, what, twenty years?)

Australia then turned around and proposed that the UN call for Cuba to respect human rights and free all political prisoners.

sounds like a great idea to me, right? surely the UN can get behind a vote like that?

think again.

the proposal lost by a vote of 126-51

what do you call that?

both I and the Miami Herald call it what it is: UN hypocrisy.

Independent Library Shut Down

2006-11-13T20:41:00.000-08:00

again demonstrating its atavistic fear of ideas it can not control, the Cuban authorities shut down an independent (i.e. non-government controlled) library in Aguada de Pasajeros, Cuba.

here's a complete translation of the report, in Spanish:

Independent Library is Shut Down
Ciego de Avila, November 13

by Tania Maceda Guerra

The independent library Adam Smith was completely shut down by officials from State Security and the National Police, who confiscated over 300 books.

The events took place on the early morning of October 25, 2006. The independent library's director, Ivan Alberto de la Nuez Ramirez, stated by phone to the Cuban Foundation for Human Rights that he was detained from three a.m. until late in the afternoon, during which time his house was searched.

He stated that this is part of on-going repression against him, as he was recently fired from his job by state security.

Cuba Has Failed to Build Democratic Society and an Effective Economy

2006-11-13T16:28:00.000-08:00

this from a Russian observer, familiar with the aftermaths of glasnost and perestroika.

some excellent insights:

[T]he 1959 revolution has failed to [] bring genuine democracy to the Freedom Island.

In this respect, Havana has every reason for despair. Cuba has indisputable achievements in education and medicine but it has obviously failed to build a free and democratic society, and an effective economy, which would ensure a decent life for its population. Rank-and-file Cubans have remained poor despite the government's versatile social support.

...

To sum up, at the dusk of Castro's era Cuba has largely given up its socialist principles in the economy (at least in their Soviet version). Ideologically, it is drifting back to Jose Marti's principles, and to the traditional Latin American Bolivarian ideas of fighting for independence.

It is hard to say which part of this policy is purposeful, and which was forced by the circumstances, but today's Cuba is moving in the direction of those countries that are placing their bets not so much on the socialist economy as on the socially oriented capitalist model. Brazil, Venezuela (for all the radical rhetoric of the extravagant Hugo Chavez), Bolivia, and now Nicaragua (after Daniel Ortega's victory) are following this road.

See Full Article

Interesting indeed... particularly if one considers that Raul Castro has long been an admirer of the Chinese model, and suddenly, he finds himself in charge.

Lagrimas Negras

2006-11-10T23:26:00.000-08:00

a while back, I mentioned the Trio Matamoros and their song "Son de la Loma."

recently, i found a recording of their song "Lagrimas Negras" probably dating back to the 1940's. i went ahead and set it to pictures of Cuba, which i hope show some of the Cuban realities today.

"Lagrimas Negras" means "Black Tears," and it is a song of lost love and regret.

how very fitting for Cuba today, i thought.

Cuba's Rank in the Human Development Index

2006-11-10T17:42:00.000-08:00

the United Nations has released its Human Development Index for 2006, and Cuba lists 50th in the world (out of 177 countries ranked).

not too bad. however, Cuba could do better.

how so?

let's look at nations in the New World that are ahead of Cuba. they are:

31. Barbados
36. Argentina
38. Chile
48. Costa Rica

and right behind Cuba, at number 50,

51. St. Kitts and Nevis
52. Bahamas
53. Mexico
57. Trinidad and Tobago
58. Panama; and
59. Antigua and Barbuda

now, you will see that every other country listed, except Cuba, has a free market economy and has a currently functioning democracy. all but two of those countries managed development on par with Cuba without destroying civil society and engaging in repressive policing of its people (the exceptions are Argentina and Chile, whose 1970's and 1980's civil rights records are appalling; Mexico and Panama, while offenders also, never rose to those levels).

so what is my point? Cuba is not alone (as far as the New World goes) in that development range (say from 30 to 60). Cuba IS alone in that it continues to cling to communism and an outdated dictatorship. what a great price to pay to do just "average" in your region.

Cuba has achieved what it has not because of communism and dictatorship but rather in SPITE of communism and dictatorship.

free of both, Cuba could easily have been in the top 20 in the world, assuming the development of the 1950's had not been interrupted by the communist regime.

let me just give you two small example. back in 1959, the Cuban literacy rate was fourth in the region. King Castro has made a hullabaloo about improving literacy, and Cuba has, in fact, become first in the region.

but consider where Castro started form (fourth). Going from fourth to first is not that big a leap. Castro didn't have that far to go because the Cuba he hijacked was already a local leader in education.

second, consider the sugar cane harvest. in 1958, under Batista's regime and in the middle of a guerrilla war, Cuba's sugar harvest was 5.8 million tons. consider also the tobacco crop: in 1959, it was over 50,000 metric tons.

last year (2005), 47 years later, Cuba's sugar harvest is only 1 million tons. despite enormous efforts, tobacco production averages just above 40,000 metric tons. that's after 47 years of "progress."

what's going on here? hard earned success or squandered and wasted resources?

i believe Castro has squandered the lead Cuba enjoyed over its neighbors in 1959. rather than forge ahead, sadly, Cuba's revolution has been falling back while the rest of the New World catches up to it and surpasses it.

Cuba would have done better without King Fidel.

you know this in your gut when you see the decrepit buildings in Havana that the government can't manage to fix, and the disrupted lives of free men and women languishing in jail for daring to speak their minds.

communism and dictatorship haven't propelled Cuba forward. they are battleship chains around its neck as it struggles to move to the future.

Cuba Gets Slammed for Internet Repression .... Again

2006-11-09T21:58:00.000-08:00

as if we needed any reminders, Reporters Without Borders has issued their list of worst offenders when it comes to online political and religious oppression.

Cuba came in at number six. the top ten:

1. Myanmar
2. China
3. Belarus
4. Iran
5. Tunisia
6. Cuba
7. Egypt
8. Saudi Arabia
9. Turkmenistan
10. Vietnam

a who's who of repressive regimes, if i ever saw one.

not too long ago a French watchdog organization also took Cuba to task for its continued denial to its citizens of the information available online.

Independent Journalist Convicted for Reporting on Denge Epidemic

2006-11-08T16:41:00.000-08:00

Cuban Journalist Guillermo Espinosa Rodríguez was convicted by a court in the eastern city of Santiago de Cuba on the uniquely Cuban charge of “social dangerousness.” He was sentenced to two years house arrest.

Espinosa Rodríguez had been covering an outbreak of dengue fever in Santiago de Cuba since July. Authorities suppressed news of the outbreak which was not reported in the official press. He had been detained for a few hours at least three times during the last three months, and warned that he would go to jail if he did not stop writing “lies,” his cousin Diosmel Rodríguez told CPJ.

Espinosa Rodríguez was fired by the government from his job as a nurse three months ago because of his writing, CPJ sources said.

Committee to Protect Journalists

mayor of london ken livingstone

Mr. Mayor, is this the kind of thing you were talking about when you heaped praise on Cuba's government not so long ago?

Your model for "freedom of the press," as it were?

no?

perhaps you should go back and rethink your position?

First He Was, Now He Isn't?

2006-11-08T16:11:00.000-08:00

King Fidel's birthday celebration was postponed to December 2 after his sudden illness in August.

the thought was to combine King Fidel's (belated) birthday with the Army's parade in honor of the 50th anniversary of the landing of the yacth Granma, Fidel on board, in eastern Cuba -- an episode that launched the guerrilla war against Batista.

well ...

after strong hints that King Fidel would make an appearance, now officials in charge of his birthday celebration are back-pedaling.

his latest video, intended to show his progress, instead highlighted his continued weakness. his voice, barely audible, struggles to complete a simple sentence:

Castro Video

so ... realistically, i don't think anyone can expect Castro to be strong enough by December 2 to take part in the celebrations

someone captured the mood perfectly:

Fidel Castro Returns, 2006

Livingstone Duped by Cubaland

2006-11-05T18:13:00.000-08:00

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.

The Mayor of London also accused President Bush of being elected in a " judicial coup d'état"

see full story

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.

Prince Regent Raul Inspects Troops

2006-11-04T18:16:00.000-08:00

the official Cuban press has reported that Prince Regent Raul has inspected key military units that will take part in the December 2, 2006 military parade to celebrate the 50th anniversary of Fidel Castro's landing in Cuba by boat (the Granma), which led to the Castro brothers coming to power a few years later.

of interest is that King Fidel is supposed to make an appearance at the military parade.

we will see whether it's a one-time appearance, or whether King Fidel is resuming his total control over Cubaland

OAS Condemns Cuba's Human Rights Record

2006-11-01T18:39:00.000-08:00

The human rights branch of the Organization of American States on Wednesday condemned Cuba for jailing 75 dissidents and swiftly trying and executing three hijackers during a 2003 crackdown on dissent.

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights recommended that Cuba free the prisoners, compensate the victims and their families and modify its laws to ensure the independence of the judiciary and the rights of its citizens.

See Full Story

And here is the List of Shame of those dissidents, including independent journalists, who have been jailed by Cuba for no other crime than for daring to disagree with the regime.

Son de la Loma

2006-10-31T17:49:00.000-08:00

several times now i have alluded to Cuba's rich musical culture.

well, the other day i was looking through YouTube and found this Japanese karaoke video (subtitled in both Japanese and Spanish) of a classic Cuban song, "Son de la Loma" ("They come from the mountains") by the Trio Matamoros.

The Trio Matamoros was formed in 1925 as a trio by Miguel Matamoros, but the group grew and included, at times, up to eight members. From 1945 to 1947, Benny More, one of the true greats of Cuban music, sang with the band until he left to pursue his tremendously successful solo career.

Miguel Matamorors wrote some of Cuba's classic "son" tunes, including Son de la Loma, Lagrimas Negras, El que Siembra su Maiz, El Paralitico, La Mujer de Antonio, and Las Maracas de Cuba. He not only contritubed to Cuba's musical language, but phrases from his songs became part of the popular vernacular.

i'd thought i'd share the video for Son de la Loma, despite its poor quality, to give you a taste of classic Cuban music.

Son de la Loma

the guys on screen are not the ones playing the music. they're just playing along. watch the trumpet solo; it gives them away.

Son de la Loma was adopted, somewhat unofficially, by Castro's Rebel Army in the late 1950's. The song's title ("they come from the mountains") fit in nicely with Castro's stronghold in the Sierra Maestra mountains, close to Cuba's second largest city, Santiago de Cuba.

eventually, Batista's regime caught on, and the song was banned from radio play. strangely enough, they still allowed it to be played live (or so i understand from my parents, who were in their early 20's at the time). here's some interesting video of Fidel Castro's triumphant entrance into Havana, back when he was truly a Cuban hero, before he sold himself out for power and betrayed the people. many in that crowd would soon be chanting "to the wall! to the wall" acquiesing when asked by Fidel whether "enemies of the revolution" should be executed by firing squad, commonly done in front of a thick wall.

anyway, the the title of "Son de la loma" is a bit of a pun. "Son" is a style of music which the Matamoros excelled at. thus, "Son de la loma" can mean "Son (or musical style) of the mountain." "Son" also means "they come from," so the title can also be translated as "They come from the mountains."

That sort of wordplay is one of the hallmarks of great Cuban music.

finally, the speaker is a young woman talking to her mother and expressing interest in the "handsome" singers coming down from the mountains (the wild country) to sing in the valleys (the civilized land). as such, the song contains quite a lot of sexual tension, with a very forward (for Cuban standards) desire by the young woman to get to know the singers and their songs, which she wants to learn so well.

Son de la loma

Mamá yo quiero saber
De dónde son los cantantes
Los encuentro muy galantes
Y los quiero conocer
Con sus trovas fascinantes
Que me las quiero aprender

De dónde serán
Serán de la Habana
Serán de Santiago
Tierra soberana

Son de la loma
Y cantan en el llano
Ya verás, lo verás

Mamá ellos son de la loma
Mamá ellos cantan en el llano
Mamá ellos son de la loma
Mamá ellos cantan en el llano

They Come from the Mountains

Mother I want to know
where the singers come from
I find them very handsome
and I want to get to know them
with their fascinating songs
which I want to learn so well

Where are they from?
Are they from Havana?
Are they from Santiago,
that sovereign land?

They come from the mountains
and they sing in the valley
You will see, you shall see

Mother they come from the mountains
Mother they sing in the valley
Mother they come from the mountains
Mother they sing in the valley

An Insider's View on Non-Market Economies

2006-10-30T15:46:00.000-08:00

the following is translated from the Spanish:

Socialism's Mute Street Vendors
by Tania Diaz Castro, Havana, Cuba(www.cubanet.org)

Karl Marx was wrong when he said that man would have no need to leave his house in order to earn his daily bread under a socialist state. In the midst of Soviet socialism, no one ignored the good sausages and hams sold mysteriously in the staircases of Moscow, Berlin, and other Eastern European capitals, where the totalitarian state was supposed to ease the collective hunger.

By way of example, the street vendor's cry in Cuba has not ceased being a social need, for it represents a natural and all-too-human way to earn one's honest daily bread, and has been so since the world has been the world, since humans came down from the trees and decided to have and feed their family.

But since everything that stinks of socialism and communism goes against nature, it is in socialism where the street vendor's cry becomes something mysterious, prohibited, and criminal.

During the first decades of the Castro regime, when the government believed that through its own means it could satisfy the needs of the population and no one, individually, could take part in the economy, farmers were already creating networks of clients in towns and cities. They would arrive from their farm loaded with fruits, vegetables, and foodstuffs that the state could not supply in its stores. That's how socialism's "almost mute" street vendor's cry was born.

Later, upon the collapse of the socialist economies in Eastern Europe, Cuban farmers were allowed to publicly sell their products. To a certain extent, the street vendor's cry was back. However, police could, at a whim, confiscate foodstuffs and fine the vendor, who was left empty handed and with a fine.

That is why socialism's pregon [street vendor's cry] is not like that other one that was made freely, in the past, remembered today as a key chapter in Cuban folklore, a pregon made with elegance and personality. It is so ingrained in Cuba's free culture of yesteryear that it was featured in classic Cuban songs, such as The Peanut Vendor by Moises Simons, The Herb Seller by Nestor Milli, Zun Zun by Ernesto Lecuona, and many others.

Today, Cubans sell everything secretly and in silence. Those who sell do it discreetly so as not to attract the regime's attention. It is the struggle of a large part of the people against the economic model under which the country suffers. It is the cry, almost held back, of the desperation of Cubans who want to survive the hunger and the injustices of totalitarianism.

We are thus faced with a pregon that survives in corners and stairways, footpaths and country roads, but always without making noise. It does not take much imagination nor musical virtuosity. The secret of the socialist pregon is a simple one: do business inside, quietly. That is why it no longer needs bells, horns, or noise-makers to call attention to itself.

The writer Alejo Carpentier saw the traditional pregon like a habit with a remote origin. Poet Nicolas Guillen says that the elect, those who dare to climb higher mountains, will reach surprising results. And that is true. How many of those street vendors in old Cuba ended up owning a store of their own? There is something human about a just society where all have the same right to participate in their country's economy.

That is why even after 47 years of Castrism, laws, repression, and jails have not stopped those Cubans who want to live free lives. It doesn't matter that their pregon is almost mute. The strength of human nature is more powerful than precarious socialism.

Yes, King Fidel, You Are Still Alive ... And Maybe Even Relevant

2006-10-29T18:20:00.000-08:00

yet another message from King Fidel to his subjects, assuring them that he is alive and well, recovering, helping manage the country, and keeping up with world news. here is Granma's version, in Spanish, of his message.

He first reads some headlines from the day's edition of Granma (to prove the date of the video), and then launches into his statement:

Now, when our enemies have prematurely said I am dying or dead, I am pleased to send my compatriots and friends around the world this small film, though insisting -- I have been saying it for a long time -- that my recovery will be long and not without risks; but in reality I am healing as it had been foreseen.

Another thing: I participate in many things. I watch the main news on television. I have a set right there. I also participate in many of the most important decisions with the comrades of the leadership of the Party and the Government. I do everything possible to support the comrades, be useful, and I feel satisfied.

This is one of the telephones with which I communicate, and I make a number of calls every day. [Picks up phone] Here, the comrade at the switchboard has answered. But I will not reveal anything else about the logistics, because I am being filmed. [To the operator] Do you understand, comrade? [To the camera] That is why I am hanging up, to show you what I do. I will not say any more.

[To the operator] Until later, thank you comrade.

Now, let's see what they say. They will have to resuscitate me, no? I am not worried, I have no fear of what may happen, but they look ridiculous.

I was watching on Venezuelan t.v. a report that said, "Castro is terminally ill," "Castro is dead." What silliness. To the contrary, they stimulate me to work and to fight.

I know that the problems of the world are very complicated, very serious, and they appear everywhere. I feel the obligation -- as we all should feel it -- to make a special effort to avoid a fatal catastrophe for humanity.

I do not wish to speak any more, but as I now watch all the news, never before in my life have I been able to watch so many news and been able to observe the issues from up close. And always, I am fighting for something, and fighting with optimism.

That is why I asked you to come here and take some photos.

Many thanks.

Fatherland or Death!

in the meantime, his brother, Prince Regent Raul continues to put his people in key positions and has embarked on a new policy shift that has "Raul" written all over it (rooting out bad management and waste from state enterprises).

how relevant is Fidel? Cuba goes on without him. in fact, Cuba seems to be shifting directions without him, guided now by Raul's hand.

there is no doubt that once Fidel gets back to full strength (or rather, if he gets back to full strength), and asks for power back, Raul will hand it over.

the question is, will Fidel be able to undo the changes Raul has made in the meantime?

perhaps that is why the Raul group is working so fast, making big changes right away?

just questions. we probably will never know the answer.

Cuba Exports Cheap Labor

2006-10-29T18:06:00.000-08:00

one thing Cuba has plenty of is cheap labor ... it basically can pay its workers anything it wants, since there's no competition -- the state owns every single business in the country.

and, perhaps, some clever communist thought, why not start exporting cheap labor?

apparently, that is exactly what is going on, according to a lawsuit recently filed in Florida:

Cuba's communist government acted as a slave master, forcing Cuban workers to labor against their will for a Curacao ship repair company, according to charges filed in a lawsuit in Miami two months ago and first reported Friday by The Associated Press.

As many as 100 Cuban shipyard workers are being forced to work against their will at Curacao Drydock Co., a ship repair company, which has an agent in Delray Beach, Klattenberg Marine Associates, according to the Miami Herald.

The plaintiffs - three workers who escaped and now live in Florida, allege they were ordered to work 16-hour shifts for $16 a month, a low wage but common in their native Cuba.

see full story

nice deal for Cuba. it contracts labor out at more or less market rates, then keeps the hard currency for itself and pays its workers a pittance (in worthless Cuban pesos -- spend all you want, we'll print more).

good deal, if you have cheap labor to spare, like Cuba does.

Crap ... Now This...

2006-10-26T19:55:00.000-07:00

well, the World Wildlife Fund's 2006 Living Planet Report names Cuba as the only country in the world with "sustainable development."

(yes, it's true ... i checked the report; it's on page 19, in the middle colum, towards the bottom).

two things come to mind: the evaluation is based on "information Cuba provided to the U.N.," so the result is only as good as the information Cuba provided ... and we know that Cuba ain't exactly "honest reporting" capital of the world.

second, i wonder what "sustainable development" means when Cuba is "it."

let's see... a country were the Government owns everything, mis-manages the crap out of the economy, people have to steal from the government to survive, where free oil from Venezuela is needed to keep the country going, and where the price of education, health care, and free housing is dissidents in jail, no way to get medication after the doctor prescribes it, and crumbling houses ...

you know, if that is "sustainable growth," i'm not too sure that's a good thing

surely there must be a better role model in the entire world?

The Times, They are A-Changing?

2006-10-25T18:00:00.000-07:00

continuing with the "corruption in the workplace" theme of Raul's short tenure, party-hack newspaper Granma has announced the initiation of a study of what's wrong with the entire socialist system.

and the study won't be all. new rules aimed at cracking down on widespread fraud at state businesses will take effect Jan. 2.

this is, of course, Raul's doing. in the absence of King Fidel, the 100% comitment to a socialist economic model Cuba previously spoused can be departed from. Raul's hands-on, practical, and above-all efficicient management of the Armed Forces and the tourism industry is now being applied to the entire country as a whole.

or rather, will be shortly.

these are just the opening salvos, of course.

Cuba: Mismanagement and Waste

2006-10-21T18:04:00.000-07:00

Cuba loves to blame its economic problems on the US embargo. never mind that it did business with the US to the tune of $350 million in 2005, or that it gets free oil from Venezuela, or that it does brisk business with the European Union and Asia.

in addition to spending much-needed resources abroad in a bid to gain support, Cuba also is plagued by mismanagement and waste.

two such examples from one city in Cuba, Baracoa:

Baracoa, Cuba, October 21, 2006
by Mario Hechevarria Driggs

Baracoa, known nationally as a primary producer of coconuts, suffers a great misfortune because the coconut harvest is spoiling due to socialist bureaucracy.

Local farmers state that they are losing quite a lot of money because the coconut harvest has been ground to a halt because the government can't send trucks to pick up the coconuts due to a lack of gas.

A high-ranking government official responded to the puzzled farmers that "The gas we have is earmarked for the battle of ideas."

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

Beginning September 21, 2006, crews from the Gaviota hotel enterprises (which is owned by the Army) arrived in Baracoa to dismantle and render inoperable all the television sets in the Porto Santo hotel. Those t.v. sets will be replaced by new ones. However, the t.v. set were relatively new, and could have been sold to the hotel staff or other locals.

Several of the hotel staff asked why the t.v. sets were not offered to them for sale, as they work hard to bring good service to the foreign tourists, or perhaps donated to local schools.

The crews responded that they had explicit orders to destroy the t.v. sets and nothing could be done about it.

Despite Embargo, Cuba 30th Largest US Agricultural Purchaser

2006-10-20T20:12:00.000-07:00

Cuba is a small nation (11.4 million people as of July, 2006), but it is the 30th largest purchase r of US agricultural goods out of 224 countries that purchase food from the US.

(yes, there is an embargo in place, but in 2001, Congress relaxed the rules to allow Cuba to purchase foodstuffs).

this, of course, means profits to US farmers to the tune of $350 million in 2005 alone.

and it debunks one of the many myths of the disaster that is the Cuban economy. "Of course they don't have anything to eat," apologists say, "they are under a US embargo."

sorry ... wrong answer. Cuba can buy as much food as it wants from the U.S.

why doesn't it buy more, enough to feed everyone adequately?

could it be because it instead chooses to buy luxury goods from the European Union and Asia to sell to tourists visiting Cuba to make a profit in hard currency so that it can finance its "humanitarian" aid to other nations, such as sending doctors to third world countries, financing education programs for third world students, and feeding people abroad while Cubans barely survive on their meager rations?

perhaps. and why would it do this? you are watching King Fidel buying goodwill so that it has friends to defend his horrible humanitarian track record and blatant 50-year-old dictatorial regime.

of course, the communist elites need their Mercedes and their lobster dishes, so some of Cuba's hard currency is spent keeping the elites happy. if the elites are happy, they aren't plotting against King Fidel, and if they aren't plotting against King Fidel, then King Fidel is happy.

so next time someone says "Cubans are hungry because of the US embargo," remind them that Cuba buys all the food it wants from the US.

It so happens that it chooses to buy only so much food, and instead spend its cash promoting the corrupt and senile Castro dictatorship abroad, to the great detriment of the Cuban people.

Cuba Criticized for Denying Web Access to its Citizens

2006-10-19T18:52:00.000-07:00

a french media watch dog organization has confirmed what we all knew, and has criticized Cuba for denying web access to its citizens.

of course, Cuba's aim is to prevent its people access to independent news sources (the better to control and manipulate the information they receive). less than 2 percent of Cubans connect to the web, and then only at closely monitored internet access points. the high price at the few existing internet cafes (about one third of a month's wages per hour, in a country that otherwise subsidizes housing, health care, and education) also acts as an effective block to Cuban's internet access.

this is an issue that i've touched on before. see Internet for All? Not in Cubaland.

on a related topic, Cuba also severely restricts its people's access to cell phones (who knows who the rascals may call, or where in the world they may connect to?). The High Cost of Cell Phones.

Cuban Rafts for Sale in Mexico

2006-10-18T19:37:00.000-07:00

from the Spanish:

Cancun, Mexico:

Approximately 20 rafts used by Cuban emigrants who reached Mexico's Caribbean coast will be sold for approximately $50 (U.S.) each as part of a fundraiser for the Red Cross, according to the authorities Isla Mujeres.

"There are approximately 20 rafts. The majority were made with pieces of tin cans, so they could be used for those who work with tin, and they will be sold at a symbolic price," stated Jose Luis Ibarra, spokesperson for the marine authorities of Isla Mujeres, which is located near the Mexican resort of Cancun.

Regarding the origin of the crudely-made rafts, Ibarra stated that "some landed empty, and others had passengers who were channeled to Immigration."

The rafts used by those leaving Cuba illegally are mostly made from discarded items, including wood and tin cans, and are usually equipped with automobile or agricultural machinery engines which are rigged to the raft.

Due to currents, hundreds of Cubans arrive each year on the Mexican east coast as they fail to reach Florida.

"some landed empty."

a moment of silence for those who didn't make it trying to get out of King Fidel's paradise.

The Realities of Cubaland Hit Home

2006-10-17T18:36:00.000-07:00

as if to prove that there are still those who can see beyond their own worlds, a passage from this essay:

However, my family has a bit of wanderlust, and five days in we decided to take a taxi [from the author's all-inclusive resort] to the nearby town of Moron. Our taxi driver -- educated to be a lawyer, but making more on his current career path -- was an excellent guide. We first stopped at a family farm, where the family raised a pen of piglets, guinea pigs, rabbits and a few chickens. We then visited a crocodile conservatory, where we held baby crocs and fed the 16-footers. Next, we went into Moron.

Here, the reality of Cuba hit home. Waiters and bartenders at the resort told us Moron was a "nice tourist town." Not quite. The homes were decrepit and crumbling -- there is no motivation to repair them, as none of the residents actually own the homes. The supermarkets were almost devoid of goods or customers, with deodorant costing eight convertible pesos (60% of the typical monthly income.)

The oppressive heat seemed to reach into every nook, even making the shade unbearable. We were glad to return to the resort after only 45 minutes. But we were also painfully aware that the Cuban residents were not returning to any such refuge.

welcome to King Fidel's paradise.

moron, cuba: the ruins of a revolution

Two Opposition Members Beaten by Government Agents

2006-10-15T17:58:00.000-07:00

this is a translation from the Spanish:

Havana, Cuba -- October 12, 2006
by Ahmed Rodríguez Albacia, Youth Without Censorship

Non-violent opposition members Nancy Suarez and her husband, Orestes Suarez Torres, were beaten brutally by members of the Rapid Response Brigades ("RRB") as they were leaving the city of Santa Clara, having participated in the inauguration of the Congress of Independent Libraries.

According to reports, the two activists were returning to their residence in Ranchuelo when they were forced into a taxi by members of the RRB and taken to their home.

During the trip, the couple were beaten severely, causing bruises and even broken bones on various locations in their bodies. The beating was so severe that the victims had to be bathed in a near-by stream to remove the blood covering them. [1]

They were also threatened that if they left their home again, both would be jailed.

[1] water in Cuba is rationed, and can only be collected during scheduled "on" times. it was probably due to the lack of running water that the victims had to be cleaned in a stream instead.

Stealing Back

2006-10-15T17:48:00.000-07:00

in what seems to be a theme of late, let's revisit the issue of theft in Cuba.

theft is a problem in Cuba because the government owns everything of value (including people's livelihoods). to survive, people have to steal from the government.

here's a typical scenario:

The beautician at the government-run salon put the finishing touches on her client -- manicure, eyebrow shaping, facial, massage and masque -- then leaned in close, dropping her voice to a whisper.

'"Your discretion here is going to be vital,"' she told her pampered client. "Everything you got costs $32. But I will charge you $15. When you pay me, you have to act like it's a tip.'"

She rang up a $5 manicure and pocketed the $15 "'tip"' -- making in one hour what she'd normally earn in a month from her state employers.

From the cafeteria worker who forgoes the cash register to the cigar factory worker who slips a 25-count box into his backpack and the taxi driver who disconnects his odometer, Cuban employees have long been scamming government enterprises to make up for their absurdly low salaries.

See Full Story

key to understanding the above story is that the beauty salon customer was a foreigner (of course) with hard currency ... in this case dollars. there'de'd be little point in scamming Cuban pesos. they're worthless.

people who don't have access to hard currency steal goods: food, gasoline, clothes, anything they can use or barter.

the result is a government hemorrhaginging from so much theft.

it's a serious enough issue that Prince Regent Raul broached it even as he tries to smooth his transition to power.

which goes to show you that when a government is a thief, it makes a thief of all its subjects.

that's the real tragedy here.

Time Magazine says King Fidel has Cancer

2006-10-12T19:17:00.000-07:00

the speculation continues with Time joining the fray. according to Time, US intelligence is now saying that King Fidel has terminal cancer and will not return to power. Cuban officials insist he is returning, but they would of course say this for the sake of stability within the country.

the Castro brothers are old conspirators, and they know that time is the key to any assumption of power. the more time you have to carry it out, the more secure you can become before having to face your enemies. the longer Fidel remains alive and rumored to be returning to power, the longer that anyone waiting to make a move will have to wait (no one will do that while there is a chance Fidel will return; his hold on power is simply that strong).

in the meantime, Prince Regent Raul continues to assert his new position, including re-shuffling of key positions to put his people in place. Raul has also been making alliances with nationalists within the Army and the Cuban Communist Party. all in all, he seems on track for someone who is consolidating his power base.

he has said that King Fidel will hold a session with students in December, so i guess we will have to wait and see:

Cuba's interim president, Raul Castro, has denied reports that his older brother is dying, saying Fidel is constantly improving, and that he will hold a special session with student delegates in December.

Meanwhile, Raul Castro, 75, has had a number of public appearances recently, in contrast to the first weeks after Fidel's surgery. He appeared at a youth meeting Sunday, and he delivered his first nationally televised domestic speech two weeks ago.

see full story

Havana Club: What's in a Name

2006-10-10T17:29:00.000-07:00

"this is a song Charles Manson stole from the Beatles.
We're stealing it back."

-- U2 lead singer Bono, introducing "Helter Skelter"

in 1878, a Basque immigrant named Jose Arechabala built a rum distillery in the Cuban coastal town of Cardenas. his rums were a hit, and the business took off. it was a classic story of rags-to-riches success.

after years of continued production, the company hit a new high in 1935 with the introduction of what would become a classic: Havana Club, a light, aged rum with mature flavors, a delicate palate, and a delicious finish (to be frank, a rum like no other rum before it).

and so, one would have thought that the company's success was assured. not so in Cuba. in 1959, King Castro came to power. in 1960, under his orders, many businesses were taken over by the state with no real compensation to their owners.

the Havana Club plant manager at that time, a direct descendant of the founder, found himself with a pistol to his head as an Rebel officer told him, "this factory doesn't belong to you anymore."

unlike Bacardi (also a Cuban rum maker, founded in 1862), the Arechabala company did not survive the hostile takeover. as everybody knows, Bacardi was able to transplant its rum business to the Bahamas, then to Puerto Rico, and finally to the U.S., where it does quite well today.

not so Arechabala. the Havana Club trademark was allowed to expire, in 1973, and Cuba snapped it up. in the meantime, it had been selling Havana Club to the Soviet Block, but the brand had otherwise been languishing.

havana club for export to the Soviet block

enter Pernod Ricard. in 1993, the French beverage king signed a partnership agreement with Cuba to market Havana Club, and sales simply took off, mainly in Europe, Canada and Mexico.
overnight, the world re-discovered a stolen treasure. see full story

in the age of the internet, no marketing campaign could be complete without a website, and Havana Club ended up with a very nice site indeed, worth visiting if for nothing else, the classic rendition of "Havana Club," a song i understand used to be a sales ditty for the company.

well ... re-enter Bacardi. recently, the US denied Cuba renewal of the Havana Club mark. Bacardi made a deal with the Arechabala family, and has started marketing rum in the US market under the name Havana Club. Bacardi is only selling the rum in the U.S., but that's 40% of the world market for rum. while Pernod Ricard can't sell "their" Havana Club here right now, if trade sanctions are ever lifted, it would then have to compete with Bacardi's Havana Club which, by then, may very well be entrenched in the market.

Pernod Ricard and Cuba are, to say the least, somewhat pissed off.

i say, serves them right. what comes around goes around.

and at least Bacardi didn't take over Havana Club at the point of a gun.

The List of Shame

2006-10-07T21:42:00.000-07:00

here is a list published by Cubanet of independent journalists and dissidents jailed in Cuba for no other reason that they do not agree with King Fidel and his dictatorship. this list is not complete, as there have been recent arrests associated with Fidel Castro's illness.

Jailed Independent Journalists (prison sentence is in parenthesis):

Víctor Rolando Arroyo (26 years)
Pedro Argüelles Moran (20 years)
Majail Barzaga Lugo (15 years)
Carmelo Diaz Fernandez (15 years)
Oscar Espinosa Chepe (20 years)
Adolfo Fernandez Sainz (15 years)
Miguel Galvan Gutierrez (26 years)
Julio Cesar Galvez (15 years)
Edel Jose Garcia (15 years)
Roberto Garcia Cabrejas (under house arrest)
Jorge Luis Garcia Paneque (24 years)
Ricardo Gonzalez Alfonso (20 years)
Luis González Penton (20 years)
Alejandro Gonzalez Raga (14 years)
Normando Hernandez (25 years)
Juan Carlos Herrera Acosta (20 years)
Jose Ubaldo Izquierdo (16 years)
Hector Maseda (20 years)
Mario Enrique Mayo (20 years)
Jorge Olivera (18 years)
Pablo Pacheco Avila (20 years)
Fabio Prieto Llorente (20 years)
Jose Gabriel Ramon Castillo (20 years)
Raul Rivero Castaneda (20 years)
Omar Rodriguez Saludes (27 years)
Omar Ruiz Hernandez (18 years)
Manuel Vazquez Portal (18 years)

Jailed Dissidents (prison sentence is in parenthesis):

Osvaldo Alfonso, 18 yrs
Nelson Aguilar, 13 yrs
Oscar Elias Biscet, 25 yrs
Pedro Pablo Alvarez Ramos, 25 yrs
Rafael Ernesto Avila Perez (not yet sentenced or sentence unknown)
Margarito Broche Espinosa, 25 yrs
Marcelo Cano, 18 yrs
Eduardo Diaz Fleites, 21 yrs
Antonio Diaz Sanchez, 20 yrs
Alfredo Dominguez Batista, 14 yrs
Efren Fernandez, 12 yrs
Jose Daniel Ferrer Castillo (not yet sentenced or sentence unknown)
Luis Enrique Ferrer Garcia, 28 yrs
Orlando Fundora, 18 yrs
Alfredo Felipe Fuentes, 26 yrs
Prospero Gainza, 25 yrs
Javier García Perez (not yet sentenced or sentence unknown)
Jorge Luis Garcia Tanquero, 20 yrs
Diosdado Gonzalez Marrero, 20 yrs
Lester Gonzalez Penton, 20 yrs
Leonel Grave de Peralta, 20 yrs
Ivan Hernandez Carrillo, 25 yrs
Regis Iglesias, 18 yrs
Rolando Jimenez Posada (not yet sentenced or sentence unknown)
Reynaldo Labrada Pena, 6 yrs
Librado Linares, 20 yrs
Marcelo Lopez Banobre, 15 yrs
Jose Miguel Martinez Hernandez, 13 years
Rafael Millet (not yet sentenced or sentence unknown)
Luis Milan Fernandez, 13 yrs
Roberto de Miranda, 20 yrs
Nelson Molinet, 20 yrs
Angel Moya Acosta, 13 yrs
Jesus Mustafa Felipe, 25 yrs
Felix Navarro, 25 yrs
Hector Palacios Ruiz, 25 yrs
Arturo Perez de Alejo, 20 yrs
Omar Pernet Hernandez, 25 yrs
Horacio Julio Pina Borrego, 20 yrs
Alfredo Manuel Pulido Lopez, 14 yrs
Arnaldo Ramos Lauzerique, 18 yrs
Alexis Rodriguez Fernandez, 15 yrs
Blas G. Rodriguez Reyes, 25 yrs
Martha Beatriz Roque Cabello (under house arrest)
Claro Sanchez Altarriba, 15 yrs
Ariel Sigler Amaya, 25 yrs
Guido Sigler Amaya, 20 yrs
Miguel Sigler Amaya (not yet sentenced or sentence unknown)
Ricardo Silva Gual, 10 yrs
Fidel Suarez Cruz, 20 yrs
Manuel Ubals Gonzalez, 20 yrs
Julio Antonio Valdes Guerra, 20 yrs
Miguel Valdes Tamayo, 15 yrs
Hector Raul Valle Hernandez, 12 yrs
Antonio A. Villarreal Acosta, 15 yrs
Orlando Zapata Tamayo (not yet sentenced or sentence unknown)

Fulgencio Batista's Widow Dies in West Palm Beach

2006-10-07T18:44:00.000-07:00

the night of December 31, 1958, was a momentous one for Cubans, but most of them wouldn't know it for another 12 hours or so.

a handful of Cuba's elite, who had gathered at the Presidential Palace for General Batista's customary New Year's Eve party, had much to be worried about, but the situation wasn't desperate. yet.

the Rebel Army, led by two of Fidel Castro's best commanders (Che Guevara and Camilo Cienfuegos) had advanced roughly halfway to Havana, essentially cutting the island in half after taking Santa Clara, the capital of Las Villas province.

but half of the island and the bulk of Batista's army still stood between the Rebel Army and Havana. past Santa Clara, the Rebels would have to advance across flat terrain without easy cover for most of the way. they were also outnumbered and outgunned by Batista's Army.
the Army had tanks and airplanes. The Rebels did not.

fulgencio batista, who rose from
sergeant to Cuba's dictator.

but Batista had had enough. after the United States ceased military shipments to his regime, a clear signal that the US was no longer backing him unconditionally, Batista thought long and hard about his future.

his future, he decided, was not in Cuba but in Spain, where he hoped to spend the roughly $700 million he had stashed away in Swiss bank accounts.

and so, on the night of December 31, 1958, Batista announced to the handful of close supporters and their families gathered at the Presidential Palace that, in so many words, he was taking the money and running. they were welcomed to stay behind and enjoy themselves.

less than three hours later, at roughly 2 a.m. on January 1, 1959, Batista's plane left Cuba. along with Batista, of course, went his family, including his first and only wife, Martha Fernandez Miranda de Batista.

Martha Fernandez Miranda de Batista
acting as Cuba's First Lady. She is
at the front and center of the image.
Her husband is behind her and to
the right, holding a small flag.

Mrs. Batista has just passed away, after a long life in exile, first in Spain, then Portugal, and finally West Palm Beach.

her husband died in Spain, on August 6, 1973. his legacy was that of a petty dictator, an Army sergeant who rose to the rank of general through political maneuvering and who eventually toppled a democratically-elected (though corrupt) government in a nearly-bloodless coup on March 10, 1952.

increasing opposition to his regime forced Batista to increase his repressive methods, which in turn lead to increased opposition, culminating with Fidel Castro's guerrilla war that brought Castro to power in 1959.

one is tempted to say that without Batista, there would have been no Castro. but given Cuba's post-colonial history and the conditions present in the island as it attempted to navigate its way from colony to democracy, Batista was almost inevitable.

which is to say, Castro too was almost inevitable.

one hopes the future will hold better things.

Mother is Detained and Fined for Public Criticism of Health Care in Cuba

2006-10-05T17:33:00.000-07:00

a translation from the Spanish:

Moron, Cuba -- October 4, 2006
by Tico Morales, APLA / www.cubanet.org

Maria Rosales Campos, resident of Peonia, was detained for more than 24 hours for demanding her daughter's medication at a pharmacy.

This past Monday, Rosales went to the Serfin Sanches y Marti pharmacy at 8:00 a.m. with a prescription for her diabetic daughter, who is 6 years old. She was told that they were out of insulin, and suggested she to to the Narciso Lopez y Maximo Gomez pharmacy.

Once she got there, she found a long line and waited her turn. However, when she reached the pharmacist, she was told they were also out of insulin. Rosales apparently began crying and made statements against the government.

The pharmacist called the police, and they escorted Rosales to the First National Revolutionary Police station in Moron, where she was kept under arrest.

Her husband, Evaristo Sanchez, having returned home in the afternoon, had to take their daughter, who was in an advanced state of distress, to the hospital. The alarmed medical staff were able to properly treat the girl.

Rosales was kept in jail overnight, and was fined $400 Cuban pesos.

Cuba Holds Child To Ensure Mother's Court Appearance

2006-10-05T17:23:00.000-07:00

in another display of the contempt the Cuban regime has for individual rights, a young girl has been separated from her mother and is being held in Cuba against her mother's will.

from CBC News:

Canada's Foreign Affairs Department is investigating the case of a nine-year-old B.C. girl who is allegedly being forced to stay behind with relatives in Cuba after her mother got into trouble with police during a recent trip to the country.

Dunia Garcia, 25, a Cuban-born permanent resident of Canada, said Wednesday that her daughter Amanda was not allowed to return with her to their home in Vernon, B.C., after the trip in August and is staying with family members in the capital of Havana.

Dunia said she was charged with assault after an incident involving a Cuban police officer at a check stop, held for two days, told not to leave the country, but suffered a miscarriage and then was allowed to return home to B.C.

Officials, however, ordered her daughter to stay to force Dunia to return to deal with the charge, she said.

The ordeal began when Dunia, five months pregnant at the time, visited her home country to see relatives. At the routine check stop, the police officer accused her of forging her Canadian documents. She insulted him and took his picture.

"I got mad and said, 'You're stupid,'" she said.

"I don't want to escape from what happened. I want to deal with it. But I don't want to have my daughter there and me here."

Before she left Cuba, Dunia suffered a miscarriage, which her common-law husband Dale Smith believes was triggered by the stress of the incident.

"It's a result of all the stress going on. She basically demanded they let her go, and they said, 'Yeah, you can go.' They said her daughter couldn't go back with her so she would return and deal with this situation with police," he said.

"They are holding her as collateral for her mom to come back to Cuba."

Sixty Days of Power: Raul's Track Record

2006-10-02T17:03:00.000-07:00

Two months after being designated by Fidel Castro as acting-president of Cuba, Raul Castro Ruz has begun to leave his stamp on guiding Cuba: he is more open to teamwork and to give leadership roles to some of his collaborators -- as he did as chief of the Ministry of Armed Forces.

In the last 60 days, two persons, Foreign Minister Felipe Perez Roque, and Vice President and Secretary of the Executive Committee of the Politburo Carlos Lage Davila, have been close to the No. 2 man in the Cuban hierarchy in the public activities of government, in domestic and foreign affairs in which they have participated.

According to diverse analysts, whether or not Fidel Castro recuperates from his illness which caused him to be provisionally separated from power on July 31, the Raul-Lage-Perez Roque axis is the key to any short-term or long-term political equation.

Raul in discussion with Fidel.
this is an archive picture.

Since he has been in charge of government, Raul Castro has named the Minister of Communications and Information (the storied commander Ramiro Valdes, who on two occasions was Minister of Interior); he successfully presided over the Cuban delegation to the XIV Summit of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries that concluded September 16 in Havana; and he sent, for the first time ever, the chief of the ideological apparatus of the Communist Party, Esteban Lazo, as Cuba's representative to the inauguration of the 61 session of the General Assembly of the United Nations.

Raul Castro aslo gave a sweeping speech on interior "errors and deficiencies" during the closing of the 19th Congress of the Workers' Central of Cuba, and served as host to Russian Prime Minister Mikail Fradkov who has now given the island a credit of USD $350 million for Cuba to buy goods and services from that country.

The naming of Valdes on August 3oth had immediate repercussions. Upon being placed in charge of the strategic area of communications, Valdes fired Jose Antonio Fernández as chief of Telecommunications Enterprises of Cuba .

The aforesaid company, with an income of more than USD $400 million and in which Telecom-Italia has a 27 percent interest, is one of the most powerful companies in Cuba. Valdes also dismissed the president of the huge state-run corporation, COPEXTEL, that imports, assembles, and distributes communications equipment, computers, and other technology. Neither of these dismissals have been published by the Cuban press.

Source

Continued Criticism of Cuban Working Force

2006-10-02T16:37:00.000-07:00

taking a cue from bad leaders, Raul Castro appears determined to highlight how bad Cuban workers are and how the economic troubles in the island are their fault.

in his first "official" speech as Prince Regent, Raul chastised labor representatives in the following manner:

[Raul Castro] stressed that, in socialism, workers are the "owners of the collective means of production," and that "the only owners of the riches of the country can not be excused of their responsibility, and [those owners] are none other than yourselves and the rest of the people."

See Full Story.

translation: things are not working and it's your responsibility that they are not.

of course, it's not King Fidel's and Prince Raul's fault, who have ruled without elections for 47 years, forcing slavery-in-fact to the people of Cuba, who have no real incentive to work. after all, if you make money, you become suspect of "anti-social" activities and can have your gains confiscated.

oh no ... it's the workers's fault. yea.

of course, he followed those comments by saying that corruption "was a serious problem." what he means by corruption, though, is theft of government resources or cheating consumers at the marketplace.

how do i know? because just yesterday, party-mouthpiece Juventud Rebelde published criticism of how more than 11,500 businesses in Havana were selling their products at higher prices than advertised, or delivering lesser quantities.

this follows comments by Fidel last November (not so blunt nor so critical of the people) that over half of the gasoline belonging to the state was being stolen, and that such activities had the power to destroy the revolution from within.

that's what they really mean by "corruption."

i call it the marketplace at work and the rules of supply and demand imposing themselves.

when the state itself is the greatest thief, and that thief controls all resources, there is no possible way to deal with it but to steal back.

"The Logical Rotation of Leaders"

2006-09-30T20:06:00.000-07:00

Raul Castro, in his first official speech as King Fidel's Prince Regent, might have misspoken slightly, or perhaps not considered his words carefully.

discussing the appointment of Salvador Valdes as the new head of the Cuban Worker's Committee, in place of Pedro Ross, who held the post for the past 17 years, Raul stated that the change was due to the "logical rotation of leaders."

oh really?

so if 17 years in charge leads to the logical conclusion that a particular leader should be rotated, then wouldn't 47 years be an even stronger logical argument that King Fidel and his Prince Regent need to be rotated too?

i can hear Raul answering, "we're not that logical."

Granma Comments on Alfredo Diaz, Jr.

2006-09-28T17:29:00.000-07:00

Granma has published a brief article regarding Alfredo Diaz, Jr.'s trip back to Cuba to be with his mother. here is a complete translation:

Miami, US (EFE): A Cuban adolescent aged 14 escaped from his home in Miami last week and boarded a plane in that city's international airport to fly to Havana.

Alfredo Diaz, a student in a school in Miami-Dade (Florida), was able to fool American Airlines personnel, who require that passengers under 15 years of age be accompanied by an adult, and boarded a plane to Nassau (Bahamas).

Once in the Bahamas, Diaz probably used his Cuban passport, which he had taken from his father's safe, and took a flight to Havana.

Diaz's father expressed his disbelief to the Miami Herald that no one with American Airlines thought to ask his son why he was traveling alone. Apparently, Diaz was going through a phase of angst typical of adolescents and had come to know a Cuban girl during a visit to the island last summer.

The young man's father was irate with the negligence of the airline and stated that they would have to explain how such a thing could happen.

"Our agent reviewed the year of birth (1991) but did not check [the boy's] actual birth day," according to American Airlines spokesperson Martha Pantin's statement to EFE.

In fact, "there is no federal law that mandates that procedure, but it is an internal requirement" that minors not fly without an adult companion, stated Pantin.

Diaz's mother contacted the boy's father this past Thursday to let him know his son was with her in Cuba.

She also let him know that the boy had used his father's credit card to buy plane tickets on the Internet to Nassau for $157 and to Havana for $315.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

i believe that this acknowledgement means that the Cuban government will not treat this issue as a political question, and will allow the boy to travel back to the US if he so chooses.

i hope i am right.

14-year-old Florida Boy Flies Back to Cuba

2006-09-27T19:22:00.000-07:00

apparently upset over his loss of computer and music privileges, a 14 year old Cuban-American boy bought a plane ticket over the Internet and traveled to Cuba via the Bahamas to live with his mother. the boy had been accused of cheating while running for class president, and his father had cancelled his computer privileges and confiscating his iPod.

See Full Story.

Alfredo Diaz, Jr. had come from Cuba to live with his father (with the boy's mother's consent) six years ago, and had visited his mother this summer.

the boy was also apparently involved in a budding relationship with a girl his age while in Cuba.

the Cuban official press has been silent on the subject thus far.

i hope that if the boy decides to come back to the US, the Cuban authorities will allow him to become reunited with his father.

Dissident Harassed and Jailed for 12 Hours

2006-09-26T16:37:00.000-07:00

a translation from the Spanish:

Havana, Cuba, September 25, 2006
by Ahmed Rodriguez Albacia, of Youth Without Censorship

Opposition member William Cepero Garcia was subject to a number of threats this past September 15 by State Security agents. At that time, Cepero Garcia was in the process of leaving the residence of this reporter.

As Cepero Garcia walked home, an officer of the National Police detained him in Zanja street, and led him to the Seventh [Detention] Unit of the Playa municipality.

In the Detention Unit, a State Security agent identified as Machado demanded that Cepero Garcia cease his anti-government work or he would be arrested and jailed and would not see his children grow up. Cepero Garcia answered that he would continue with his work as it was not a crime to defend human rights.

Subsequently, Cepero Garcia was led to a cell and was kept there for twelve hours. Eventually, he was allowed to leave. He refused to sign a warning document offered to him by the officers present.

William Cepero Garcia is 42 years old, and is the representative for the City of Havana province of the Cuban Foundation for Human Rights (FCDH in Spanish).

UN Watch Praises UN For Efforts Documenting Human Rights Violations in Cuba

2006-09-26T16:18:00.000-07:00

UN Watch, a non-governmental human rights watchdog organization, today issued a press release praising the UN for its work in documenting human rights violations in Cuba.

here's an excerpt from the report:

UN Watch applauds Ms. Christine Chanet, the Council expert on Cuba, for her persistent work under difficult circumstances, given the Cuban government's refusal to allow her to visit the country or to otherwise cooperate. We fully endorse her call on the Cuban government to stop prosecuting citizens, and to free those already imprisoned, for exercising their basic civil and political rights --such as the 60 pro-democracy activists still sitting in jail from the government's March 2003 crackdown. UN Watch also endorses Ms. Chanet's calls for the Castro regime to end restrictions against non-governmental organizations, to allow for dissenting views in trade unions, press, and political parties, and to lift the travel ban that prevents Cubans from leaving the island without permission.

christine chanet

UN Watch condemned the Cuban ambassador [to the UN] for resorting to personal insults against Chanet. "We will send your report to the same place as your previous reports, i.e., to the circular file," he said. "Among your many occupations, Ms. Chanet, this is not one of your honorable jobs. No one will remember your illegitimate mandate. There is a significant contribution that you might make -- by quitting." Referring to the U.S., Cuba said "we struggle for survival as a nation against the most powerful and aggressive empire in history, this fascist clique trying to destroy us."

"That Fidel Castro's Cuba, one of the world's most repressive regimes, is a member of the Human Rights Council is an outrage," said UN Watch executive director Hillel Neuer. "Cuba uses its Council seat not to promote human rights, but to shield itself and fellow dictatorships from criticism. For months, council delegates have been subjected to Castro-style political theater, with Havana's ambassador lambasting its political enemies, such as the U.S. and the E.U., and standing in the way of needed reforms. Cuba's refusal to cooperate with Ms. Chanet is just another example of its obstructionist policy vis-a-vis the Council."

it's worth saying it again:

That Fidel Castro's Cuba, one of the world's most repressive regimes, is a member of the Human Rights Council is an outrage.

he's got that right.

Cubaland Hassles Foreign Press

2006-09-25T19:07:00.000-07:00

one of the stories that "got lost" during King Fidel's recent illness (my prediction: he'll be back in charge by the early part of 2007) was the harassment that the foreign press trying to cover the story was subject to.

nothing new there. Cuba harasses foreign journalists that it feels it can't control (freedom of the press? qu'est-ce que c'est?). these are some quotes from Lori Robertson's Cuba Countdown, featured in the American Journalism Review:

Valentin, Robinson and many other[] [foreign journalists] who didn't have the pleasure of sleeping in the airport [while waiting for a flight out after being expelled from Cuba] were turned away by Cuban immigration authorities, who said the visitors couldn't enter the country without journalist visas. These had turned out to be impossible to obtain quickly from the Cuban Interests Section in Washington, an office that had not responded to many phone calls or e-mails or an in-person visit by Robinson.

Some reporters did slip in. One, tipped off that journalists were being deported, stashed reportorial gear in a Cancun airport locker and walked through Cuban immigration at the same time Robinson and Valentin were pleading for entry. The New York Times' Ginger Thompson flew in from Mexico without a hitch, until she was asked to leave the country a week later and escorted to the airport. Miami Herald reporters, veterans of working in Cuba without the journalist visas they're regularly denied, were still contributing to stories in late August.

...

[After hearing the report of Castro's illness on television, Gary Marx] scrambled and wrote the story. About midnight, Marx ran downstairs to get some quotes from people on the street. A block later, he was detained by police. Marx had forgotten his press credentials. It was the fourth time he had been detained in three weeks.

"They can hold you anywhere from an hour to five hours," he says. "Fortunately I was able to call in my quotes that I already had."

...

Reporters are still expelled – or simply not allowed in – for what is deemed to be critical or unfair journalism. Reuters, which has continued to operate a bureau since the 1960s, has had people "pressured out," says Alistair Scrutton, the British company's editor for political and general news about Latin America. Three or four years ago, a Reuters stringer was publicly criticized by Fidel Castro, a sign that the stringer might not be able to stick around much longer. "We decided it was best that he leave," Scrutton says.

so, next time you read or listen to Cuba's carefully crafted and controlled press statements, remember, these guys don't like competition when it comes to their version of the truth.

heck, these guys don't like the truth at all

NPR Features Cuban Artists

2006-09-24T19:04:00.000-07:00

National Public Radio has just featured some up-and-coming Cuban artists (still living in Cuba) in a piece titled New Island Sounds from Cuba's Young Guard

among the featured artists are Descemer Bueno (something like rap meets guaguanco), Haydee Milanes (Enya meets Yoruba chants), and Juan-Carlos Formell (pseudo jazz meets Brazilian roots -- but he's Cuban ... oh well).

none of those artists particularly impress. the packages seem designed to appeal to the American or European markets, rather than to truly move forward the state of Cuban music, and the results, while mildly interesting, fall far short of the kind of musical brew for which Cuba is rightly famous.

this is the country, after all, which produced conga, rumba, mambo, cha-cha-cha, and guaracha -- the last of which went on to become the dominant musical form of the Latin world under its export name, "salsa," the result of Cuban and Puerto Rican immigrants working in New York which then spread back into Latin America.

perhaps less known is the habanera, which eventually landed in Argentina and became the mother of tango. and that leaves out such vibrant Cuban musical styles as danzon, son, son montuno, and guaguanco.

at any rate, the above-mentioned artists miss the essence of Cuban music, which is hard to define, but which comes down to an irresistible beat (whether fast or slow), powerful melodies, and layered and nuanced lyrics. even older artists working with ballads and slow compositions never forgot those basic elements, and thus you end up with awesome pieces that deviate from the Cuban norm but somehow embrace it, such as Silvio Rodriguez's Ojala and Pablo Milanes's Yo Pisare Las Calles Nuevamente. (yeah, they're commies ... but they're talented commies).

of the above groups, no one seems to have caught the fire. they do try, and they go through their motions, but the whole is never greater than the sum of the parts.

one group does command attention. they are called Habana Abierta (Open Havana), and they sing of social taboos such as drug use and (one wonders if the censors have been on the job lately) emigration, the relationships between emigrants and those left behind, and the hopes of the Cuban people in general. they have just recently released their second album, Boomerang; their first album 24 Hours, was released in 1999.

habana abierta

and did i mention their music rocks? they manage to look back to Cuba's classical rhythms and melodies, and yet streamline them and, dare i say it, modernize them, in such a fashion that they do create something new. their song-writing is still not there 100% (even 7 years after their first release), but if this is signs of things to come, this is one group I'll be keeping my eyes on.

this song Asere Que Vola? (street slang for "What's happening, my friend?") really promises much from these guys. i hope their song-writing improves and the censors don't notice them any time soon.

Branding Cuba

2006-09-22T19:59:00.000-07:00

i read a somewhat puzzling article from South Africa's MarketingWeb, where the author discusses Cuba's marketing strategy.

it's a flawed article, as it does not seem to recognize that Cuba sells two products -- hard currency earners (such as cigars, vacations, nickel, and sugar) to foreigners and the idea that there is no alternative to King Fidel's regime to local Cubans.

and they do a good job at both. despite the U.S. embargo, Cuba's economy is growing, and hard currency is pouring in through tourism and remittances from Cubans abroad (mostly in Miami -- a bit of an irony there, i'm sure).

let's talk about the internal hard sell first. says the author:

It is a rare advertising- and commercial-free zone, with stores filled with generic products and services that strive only to be on a par with "competitors". Advertisements for beer and soap are non-existent. The triumphant system has replaced the dominant capitalist competition with its promotion of citizens’ revolutionary education and an ethical emulation among enterprises.

ah, but he misses the point. there's advertisements in Cuba everywhere you look. from every available space, slogans cry out "DO MORE FOR THE REVOLUTION" or "FIDEL, WE'RE BEHIND YOU ALL THE WAY," and a gizzillion other ads telling people how they feel, how they must feel, the only way to feel: support for the regime.

what is being advertised is the regime -- and at the same time it advertises itself, it makes its presence felt everywhere, and it tells you how to behave, how to be, who to be, and what to think.

it's also, in a way, like gang colors or tagging buldings. the Revolution "tags" every block, every open space. it marks it with a slogan, saying "this is my turf; you are in my turf." every day, Cubans are reminded that they are in the government's turf the minute they walk outside. and when you are in someone else's turf, you tend to tread cautiously.

brilliant.

there's a nice collection of recent Cuban billboards here, and here's a couple of the best examples:

fatherland or death
we shall be victorious

cuba: against terrorism and against war
(but terrorism and war against your own people is ok)

we are on the right path ("we are going well," literally)
(yeah... that's why the last time you could afford a car was 1958)

here's a particularly loaded billboard. it "advertises" the Committees for the Defense of the Revolution (CDR):

the text reads, "in every neighborhood, the revolution," and it shows the logo of the CDR (a man wielding a machete behind a shield painted in the colors of the Cuban flag). that's quite literal, you see. every block has a CDR representative whose job it is to report on suspicious activities, people who don't belong, who's spending money freely (where did they get it?), you name it. they are civilian snoops who keep tabs on everybody else.

this billboard celebrates them, and at the same time reminds everyone (as though they needed a reminder) that the revolution is everywhere, watching. and if you step out of line, the man comes and takes you away.

alright, let's talk about the foreign hard sell now. says the author:

As a result, its local brands (Romeo y Jiulietta, Cohiba, Corona, Havana Club and even Castro), riding on the wave of the national unity and culture, have become strong, if not luxury brands internationally, based on the sensory idea of what Cuba represents. Even Bacardi, which abandoned the Cuban ship decades ago, still rides on its origins in Cuba.

clearly, Cubans living in Cubaland can't afford fancy cigars, or even Bacardi's equivalent, Havana Club. you need hard currency to buy those. what dollars Cubans get from abroad or earn from tourists, must be converted to the new Cuban peso (the convertible currency), and most of that goes to food and other basic necessities.

no no no.... those brands are aimed at foreigners who will buy them either at home or when they come to visit Cuba. and that branding pretty much takes care of itself. Cuban cigars had been world-famous since before the 1959 revolution, and even years of neglect during the early part of the revolution (before Castro realized what a gold mine cigars were) couldn't kill the world's appetite for Cuban cigars.

the writer goes on:

Amazingly, this communist country that has vilified capitalism and consumerism for decades has managed to:

maintain a single message,
promulgated by senior management consistently,
bought up and lived by all the citizens,
without stripping away creativity and imagination,
been bundled into an alluring brand essence,
and disseminated through sensory cues that cover touch, taste, smell, sight and sound.

well, not if you ask your average Cuban in the street. yes, the message is mind numbingly single-minded (there is no choice other than the revolution), and yes, it is promulgated by everybody in power all the time, along with all state-owned media (and there's no other kind in Cuba), and the innumerable billboards and slogans everywhere.

but "bought up and lived by all the citizens?" hardly. there's no choice, pal. the alternatives are jail, winning the US visa lottery, getting in a raft and daring the Gulf Stream, or playing along. a few dissidents speak up and go to jail; many young people opt for the lottery or the raft (last year, Cuba's population grew by less than 3,000 total people, and emigration played a large role in that). but most Cubans have little choice (family or age ties them to Cuba), and so they must go on, as best as they can, complying with the wishes of the regime.

it's an easy sell because it's aimed at a captive audience. from time to time (such as during the Mariel Boat Lift and the Balseros mass migration of the late 1990's) the cracks open up and the people vote with their feet. most of the time, they just make time.

which is probably why Castro insists on a single-party government (he wrote it into the Constitution). no choice for Cubans, my friend. they get the hard sell on the one and single government they get. and if they don't buy it, the CDR is watching, patiently, and waiting.

Chavez is Castro's True Heir

2006-09-20T16:09:00.000-07:00

Raul Castro is his brother's heir within Cuba. but that seems to matter little. Cuba is a small country with a non-existent economy and very little real power in the world.

enter Venezuela's (oil rich) President Hugo Chavez. for a long time Fidel's student, Chavez is now stepping up to the role of Anti-American Knight In Shining Armor.

hugo looking huge ... a bit plump
for a champion of the hungry?

just this week, he launched a direct attack on President Bush, something even Iran's president did not do while at the UN:

"Yesterday, the devil came here," Chavez said, referring to Bush's address before the U.N. General Assembly on Tuesday. "Right here. Right here. And it smells of sulfur still today, this table that I am now standing in front of."

He then made the sign of the cross, brought his hands together as if praying and looked up at the ceiling.

Lest anyone wasn't listening, Chavez continued:

"Yesterday, ladies and gentlemen, from this rostrum, the president of the United States, the gentleman to whom I refer as the devil, came here, talking as if he owned the world. Truly. As the owner of the world," Chavez said.

See Full Story

This, of course, must be understood in the context of Venezuela's campaign to become a member of the UN's Security Council (the US, of course, has openly opposed it). This has become Chavez' first real test of head-to-head lobbying against the U.S., and in so doing, he has taken up the mantle that Fidel wore for so many years.

this will, at the very least, be interesting to watch.

From the Ground Up, Cuba Is Crumbling

2006-09-19T15:37:00.000-07:00

from an LA Times story:

[Cuban] homes are also in a sad state, with at least 500 buildings in the capital collapsing each year, by the government's own count. Their utilities are decrepit too: Water and power distribution systems are corroded patchworks predating the 1959 revolution, and olfactory evidence of the state of the sewer system wafts throughout the city.

Cuba is falling apart -- literally.

Even as its economy booms thanks to a thriving tourism industry, brisk nickel exports and cheap oil from ideologically aligned Venezuela, the social benefits are difficult to see at street level. Except for a few high-profile historical restoration projects such as the Art Deco buildings of Old Havana, the country's structural decay seems to worsen with each month.

"It's not a question of repairing anymore. Everything needs to be rebuilt," says Julio, a construction worker who spends more time as an unlicensed cabdriver than on state building sites. "There is no material and no money to buy it, so nothing has been maintained."

buildings crumble under their own
weight in Havana

welcome to the desert of the real ...

some layers here:

no one can take care of a building like its owner (no one can take care of ANYTHING like its owner). do away with private property, and you do away with the incentive to take care of property ... heck, it's not property any more, it's just stuff you use that doesn't belong to you.

when the government says it's going to take care of the people, it can't do it. it can't be everywhere at once; it can't get the resources to where they are needed. it does things arbitrarily, or myopically, by the book. at best, it solves some of the problems some of the time. at worst (as in Cuba) it solves nothing all the time.

without a market system, without supply and demand, consumers can't get what they want. building materials and building services should be in extremely high demand in Cuba. in a market economy, that need would be met (cause you can make a buck). in a controlled economy such as Cuba, no one steps in to take up the slack when the government fails to do so (as it will fail, sooner rather than later)

why are things falling apart in Cuba? because the Cuban government made a promise that it would take care of things. it couldn't keep that promise. rather than let others (private enterprise) step in and fill the demand, it makes such things illegal (so that it can keep the monopoly on services, keep the people looking to it for solutions, rather than to themselves and the market).

welcome to the desert of the real, Cubaland style

While Non-Aligned Leaders Pontificate, Cuban Repression Continues

2006-09-17T12:27:00.000-07:00

it's fine and good to pay lip service to equality and human rights, but to do so while violating those very same ideals at home is cynical hypocrisy.

while Cuba gets the NAM to badmouth the US for its "interference" in Cuban internal affairs (such as, perhaps, Cuba's nasty little political prisoner problem?), Cuba has no problems interfering in the lives of its citizens that the government does not deem deserving.

here are excerpts from one such story while the NAM meeting was going on, translated from Spanish:

Havana, Cuba, September 14, 2006
by Roberto Santana Rodriquez.

State Security kept dissidents Julio Antonio Valdes Guevara, his wife Cruz Delia Aguilar, his sister and another friend from visiting the Cobre Church, where they were going to pay homage to the Virgin of Charity, Patroness of Cuba.

Their car was stopped en route to the church, and Vales and his relatives were arrested and taken away in a patrol car. Valdes is an ex-political prisoner, one of 75 currently on parole for his delicate state of health.

A peaceful rally was held that night by dissidents at the local church to demand the freedom of political prisoners and the people of Cuba. A heavy security contingent was present.

alas ... Raul Castro rails against the US "bullying" poor Cuba, but thinks nothing of having his security forces bully elderly, sick, unarmed, and peaceful dissidents.

and the NAM leaders will surely condemn the US embargo against Cuba, but I haven't seen anybody speak up against the political repression inside Cuba.

oh well. we all know life isn't fair.

Oswaldo Paya Sardinas Calls for Release of all Political Prisoners

2006-09-16T08:56:00.000-07:00

in a message directed at the delegates of the Non-Aligned summit now being held in Havana, Oswaldo Paya Sardinas, leader of the Christian Liberation Movement, and winner of the Sakharov Price for Freedom of Thought, calls for the release of all political prisoners in Cuba.

oswaldo paya

the following are excerpts from his statement, published by the Miami Herald:

The nations that belong to the Non-Aligned Movement, now at their summit here in Cuba, have proclaimed that the most important mission for this event is the defense of the international rule of law; the right to peace, sovereignty and self-determination of peoples; and the recognition of the right of every nation to provide to its own economic, social and political system. Also a priority is the necessity of a new international economic order.

But these aspirations cannot be disconnected from the aspiration and the right that the citizens of the world have to be free beings whose rights are respected in their native countries.

Yet in Cuba, host for this summit that proclaims these noble goals, peaceful citizens remain imprisoned for defending human rights and advocating changes so that all citizens may enjoy political, social, economic and civil rights.

How can the goals of respecting the right of nations to sovereignty and to choose their own political, social and economic systems be achieved if the citizens of some countries cannot freely express themselves, elect their own government, travel, enjoy all human rights, or if they cannot democratically change the political or economic system because the system has been declared irrevocable?

There is no legitimacy for a nation that does not embrace all of its citizens without exclusions. It is not valid, either, to pit a nation's right to self-determination and sovereignty against the fundamental rights of the peoples and individuals. On the contrary, those rights are inseparable. A nation cannot honestly aspire toward some rights without aspiring toward others.

We are asking the honorable Secretary of the United Nations, Kofi Annan, and all delegates attending this summit, to advocate for the liberation of all nonviolent Cuban political prisoners -- at this event, at the U.N. General Assembly and U.N. Human Rights Council. Requesting the Cuban government to comply with this act of justice contributes to reconciliation and peace among Cubans and to the international peace and justice that the Non-Aligned Movement proclaims.