Bulldozing Cuba



The italian journalist Gianni Minà with Fidel Castro


 What will be the new excuse for continuing to bulldoze Cuba?

Recently, Amnesty International reported that on 15 August 2010, political prisoners in Cuba [or "of consciousness" as the same organization define them] was only 27. Then, after a subsequent release, in compliance with the agreements reached in June by the government in Havana with the mediation of the Catholic Church and the Spanish Foreign Minister Moratinos, one inmate had been anti-establishment, Rolando Jiménez Pozada in prison " for disobedience and for revealing state secrets. " A really sensational, met with a deafening silence from the Western media and even by the government in Washington.
Amnesty, in fact, also pointed out that these people, freed and sent with their families in Spain, the majority were sentenced for "having received funds or materials from the U.S. government to engage in activities considered subversive and prejudicial Revolution to Cuba. "

The humanitarian organization, however, had forgotten to point out that international law considers it illegal to finance internal opposition in another sovereign nation, so that in European countries and the United States itself, is severely punished by being employed by a foreign power. Because the key lies not in who sends the money, but in how it is used. In an article published in this number 112 to Latin America, Salim Lamrani, French researcher and university professor, sought the opinion of Wayne Smith, who was head of the U.S. interests in Havana from 1979 to 1982, during the President Jimmy Carter. E Smith on the subject is sharp: "No one should give money to the dissidents, and even less with the aim to overthrow the Cuban government [action plan that is clear in Cuba libre] because when you express this goal, we bring the dissidents themselves ready to become paid agents of a foreign power to overthrow their government. "
Do not dwell, therefore, one aspect of U.S. policy toward embarrassing to Cuba that has lasted half a century, although many "Democrats" continue to forget when they talk about the limits of the Revolution. The well-known dissidents, but a few cases worthy of respect, they received money from the United States by the groups and those most questionable of that society, as is the case of the terrorist Santiago Alvarez, now in jail in Florida because they discovered a car full of weapons and explosives, which subsidized the legendary Ladies in white.
I am much more, to learn the news about openings policies decided by Raúl Castro, to highlight the attitude of U.S. President Barack Obama, on the same days, extended the extension of the "Law against the Trading with the Enemy" , an action that serves to maintain the economic, commercial and financial embargo against Cuba.

The White House has just released, in a statement that Obama has signed a memorandum to the Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Secretary of the Treasury Timothy Geithner in which you give notice that the legislation on the matter is extended until September 14, 2011. Obama adds in the text, as the only justification that "the continuation for a year of these measures on Cuba agrees to U.S. national interests." Washington insists that with this argument according to his point of view, Cuba, even if it was ever-continues to be a risk to national security, and therefore prohibits U.S. companies or those of other countries that have even a minimal U.S. involvement, to trade with the country of the Revolution. Cuba is in fact the only nation in the world subject to the penalties of the "Law against the Trading with the Enemy" in 2008 after the administration of George W Bush had decided not to renew the application of this restrictive measure even to North Korea. Sorry, but the attitude is just like an inability to accept that there are other ways of life, to rule, to organize their society. Choices contrary to the neoliberal pensée unique, which have clearly influenced the Latin America and the changing leaves in many cases the treat to the interests of the United States.
A mortal sin to be punished against all logic, even by a Democratic administration, which has resorted to the usual methods mean. For example, to mount a media war against Cuba for months, citing a hunger strike for which he died Orlando Zapata, a pipeline quickly forgotten when, as now, 34 Mapuche Indians, heirs of an ethnic group robbed and exterminated in Chile, implement the same form of protest against a law promoted by Pinochet and their initiative that equates to an act of terrorism.

Or, ignore the murder of Irene Norma Perez, a Colombian mother of four children who had discovered the largest mass grave of the postwar world [two thousand corpses], which probably hides the murders and the brutality of the regime of Álvaro Uribe [President until a few months ago], the closest ally of the United States to South America, responsible for atrocities such as the so-called positive falsos (mostly peasants murdered and then dressed as guerrillas in order to demonstrate that the plans of the government against the FARC, generously financed by Washington, work fine).
The problem is always that of the Information Age. Becoming subject to so blatantly political interests of the United States, to share uncritically directives, is not a sign of independence and even of logic, ethics. Why is that established by the State Department against Cuba and the countries of his vassals in the months ranging from winter until early summer 2010, was blatantly unfair to attempt to block the announced initiative by the Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos to return to normal relations with Cuba after the sanctions, even cultural, that the EC had imposed on the surface to the island in 2003. In that season, as reported last May in a radio interview with Univision's Miami station chain, Roger Noriega, former U.S. undersecretary of state for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Bush Jr. had tried to give a final shove to the government of Havana. There had been a hijacking of airplanes and even the ferry to Regla, companies that no dissident could have put up the dollars and without the aid of Washington, on the other hand, had launched the operation "Cuba libre". Similarly no Noriega nor Cason, then head of the office of U.S. interests in Havana and his accomplice in this senseless, he could decide this action without the backing of the White House. Saul Landau and Nelson Valdés explain it and denounced it in an article published in this number of Latin America and that it raises several questions. This was a very delicate relations between the two countries have never been solved, given the blatant U.S. interference in the life of another sovereign country. Revolution, still led by Fidel-unfortunately-reacted harshly, coming in order to be shot three of the eleven leaders of the attack to the tourists of the ferryboat, an act that broke the moratorium on the death penalty that Cuba respected for years and would have taken to comply immediately.
The European Community, incited by the then Spanish Prime Minister Aznar, who had been a part of his campaign paid for by the infamous Cuban American National Foundation in Miami, Cuba had punished without even addressing the problem of responsibility of the United States to interfere on the life of an independent country that had also suffered the offense of terrorism that began from Florida. Not to mention that, since 11 September, the European Community itself had recognized the U.S. right to defend itself in any way, even illegal, also with the seizure of suspects who were taken to countries where torture was possible, while At the same time, denied the right of Cuba to protect themselves.
After seven years, Spain's Zapatero, a kind of cultural heritage but also very exciting for the previous linked to the interests of Aznar, felt the need to revise the so-called "common European position" in respect of the Revolution, the famous "Kamasutra Europe, "as he called ironically the prestigious Cuban singer Silvio Rodríguez.
But U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, this project led by the Minister Moratinos did not like, because, in the meantime, Cuba's influence in the political and social Latin America had brought the continent to ransom, clearly represented from nine countries that had chosen left-wing governments. A real setback for the United States in what was the "backyard" and that was started, however, with the Dawn, Mercosur, the Banco del Sur, the re-establishment of the Organization of American States [Dare] el 'information Telesur, to set up progressive continental alliance, modeled on its European Community.

The analysts at the State Department then decided that it was time to use with Cuba, political laboratory of this revolutionary change, the old methods.
1] dissidence less sincere and credible.
2] Riding the malaise that not only the global economic crisis, but also deficiencies in the old socialist economy, were fit into society.
3] affects the information through structures such as Reporters Without Borders, trained and paid to advertise what the CIA branches or disguise what it is improper for the same agency.
4] rely on newspapers like El País that the interests of the Prisa group to which it belongs, on time can not stand the wind blows in buy-back that most of Latin America.

All of this increase, with respect to Cuba, Cyberwar, modern instrument specious theorized and put in place some years ago by Donald Rumsfeld, the Minister of Bush's war. The Cyberwar is not a tool to give rise to internal ailments but to create resentment, prejudice, mistrust and outside, in nations that could help Cuba or other "rogue states" of the continent [Venezuela, Bolivia, Ecuador and at times even the 'Kirchner of Argentina and Brazil's Lula] countries are putting in a bad mood the North American and European multinational companies with nationalization and recovery of resources and are aiming to express a future of independence.
The work was carried out with a hunger strike among the most media in living memory and the construction of a heroine, Yoani Sánchez, through willing media just as El País in Spain, and we, the press and the International , ill informed, and communicates his newspaper, his constant forget-social achievements of Cuba recognized by all international bodies, and provided the framework for a country without a future.
Now, anyone who knows the southern hemisphere and Latin America considers itself a joke complain, for example, that if it rains, his fellow citizens should shelter with plastic bags [in the rest of the continent as if everyone had the trench coat style English].

But this apparatus mounted for months has achieved a result: the hypocrite has disaffected European Community, in a world of injustice, cruelty, violence and corruption, was impressed only by the death of Orlando Zapata on hunger strike and decided to hold pending its relationship with Cuba, while only a couple of seasons ago he received in Brussels, as a true statesman, Álvaro Uribe, former president of Colombia responsible for tuna fishing and mass graves like the ones we have told the foot of previous pages and that did not have any free space in the Western media.

These old methods of communication incorrect, orchestrated and supported by UsAid, Ned, Freedom House, Reporters Without Borders, in short, the usual propaganda apparatus of the CIA, with the complicity of most of the Italian media [including some of those allegedly left] does not ultimately served much. Why the stubborn Moratinos captured during the semester Spanish EU presidency, has convinced Raúl Castro, with the help and mediation of strategic Cuban Catholic Church [as told Frei Betto in this issue of the magazine] to release almost all political prisoners or of conscience imprisoned in 2003, when the United States, as mentioned, tried once again to slam deal with Cuba.

Here too, the Western media have, for the most part, the usual figure of the vassals of the United States, focusing on political prisoners in the calculation of the list provided by the profession for dissident Elizardo Sánchez, reputed by all the international media as the least reliable, due to the inclusion of individuals convicted of serious acts of terrorism. Just Miguel Angel Moratinos, the journalists who went to welcome him upon his arrival in Havana, he said, sarcastically: "Do not say you have to free 300, because there are 300. The same list announced by Sanchez, spokesman for the Commission on Human Rights in Cuba, a week before I arrived was about 202 prisoners, then when I came to Cuba, the figure had fallen to 167. "
 Not surprisingly, the U.S. agency Associated Press, pointing out the dubious nature of the list of Elizardo Sánchez, reported that among the 100 suspected dissidents who he would remain in prison, half were convicted of terrorism, kidnappings and other violent crimes .
The President of the Cuban parliament, Ricardo Alarcon, who always takes care of the problem also of the five compatriots in prison in the United States for having uncovered and made public the terrorist active in central Florida against the island, said bitterly: "Those who argue the list of those to be released because we do not say explicitly that they are asking for the freedom of those who murdered Fabio Di Celmo? "(2).
Amnesty International, as recalled by Salim Lamrani in timely article in this issue of Latin America, said, "can not be regarded as 'prisoners of conscience' many of the components of the proposed list to the media Elizardo Sánchez because people were being tried for terrorism, espionage and have even tried, unsuccessfully to blow up hotels. Why not call for their release and do not qualify them as 'prisoners of conscience'. "
Too bad the same Amnesty, only two months earlier, had informed that "a climate of fear was generated on the island for restrictions on freedom of expression." When you say the need to get by without bothering too much government in Washington.
And you think the Italian papers [the news even talked about it] as a list of alleged Cuban dissidents have taken for good?

All of this work, in the end, however, awarded the State Department. Since the days when Wayne Smith was President Jimmy Carter for a rapprochement with Cuba, but was abandoned for the election of Reagan, who tried a real step towards a dialogue between the two countries was only the Revolution. And if the information still has a shred of honesty to recognize that Barack Obama is now having to respond to the facts put in by Raul Castro, not the words of the European Community or advice from Hillary Clinton.

It is sad at this point to recall the statements of alleged firmness of what in theory is responsible for Italy's foreign policy, the Minister Franco Frattini. Obviously without knowing the full reality, as often happens in the spring outside without restraint on Cuba and human rights. I wonder who will take the initiative now, after the revelations of Roger Noriega and after the caveats of his Spanish colleague Moratinos. Ask for a complaint to the European government of the United States for having the habit of not respecting the right of self-determination and to be the bearer of a subversion of Latin America?
Lying is obviously a practice of many of our politicians, but it takes a cheek, after pounding the spring campaign of almost all the Italian media that stigmatize Cuba after the death of Zapata, but ignored the killings of journalists in Mexico and in ' Honduras "normalized" [respectively 11 and 10 in 2010 alone], to make statements like this: "I'm amazed that even in the silence around the story of Italy's Cuban dissidents. As in the case of Chinese and Burmese dissidents, and other countries around the world, there are questions, protests, demonstrations, especially in this case there is silence. "It must be really shameless to respond to a subsequent claim for Marco Galluzzo of Corriere della Sera about the affairs that Italy does with China, where things happen that never happened in Cuba, "China has made enormous strides from Tiananmen onwards and has become a political partner international first magnitude. It is a double standard because Beijing provides a positive contribution to the world on a range of contexts. "

Minister Frattini but where he lives? Did you know that in China there are over a thousand shot a year? And you know, on the contrary, there are 70 thousand Cuban doctors in the southern countries of the world where there's not even the UN agencies? And do you know that the Medical School of Havana, founded 10 years ago where he was the school of the navy, have been graduates more than seven boys from the poorest countries in the world who have made a commitment to go to practice in the most inaccessible places of their countries, where a doctor they have never seen?
In the Latin American Medical School [which I filmed for the documentary Cuba era of Obama that I hope to present the best festival] there are even students from the ghettos of large North American cities, which could never have become doctors in the richest country in the world . Not by chance, just Obama said: "The impact of the Cuban doctors in the southern hemisphere has been more successful than many of our policy." We remember a lot of other things to Frattini, the Cuban school teachers who work in the slums on the continent to filmmakers leaving the Film School of San Antonio de los Baños and allow many young people in the South of cultivating dreams that, certainly, so far China, cited the hypocrisy of the minister, has no desire or time to help.
We shall remind him that when, a few years ago, a tsunami swept the Indian Ocean nations facing, Indonesia asked the United Nations how to organize in the event of repetition of the terrible phenomenon. Well, the United Nations advised to turn to Cuba, where the Civil Defense was poor perhaps, but very efficient and organized. Recently it has been in Haiti to benefit from this ability and the health care organization in one night the Cubans have been able to put on the island of French and African roots devastated by the earthquake. The United States, however, they sent the Marines. But can understand these nuances Frattini, who appeared so happy to wag its tail around Gaddafi?
As the Italian media is no exception. Corriere della Sera, for example, Emilia Costantini, telling a cinepanettoni with Brignano Pannofino and working in Havana, noted with concern that the Cubans, suppliers and the set of well-trained workers, have asked to change the nationality of the protagonist [of course a jinetera, an escort would say after the fate of our Chairman of the Board] that, instead of being Cuban is Colombian. In short, apart from the poverty of the inspiration of the writers on the island clichet which fortunately for some years has shaken [missing only the driver with the anti-system rayban the tip of the nose el'intellettuale disappointed, sure that in the West the bridges would gold] I wonder: who does not notice you ever wondered why Cuba resists the siege of the United States for more than 50 years?

And the Italians, in a country where escorts have become a daily routine, almost a status symbol, we can still make jineteras the example to tell that country? Finally, a smart player as Pannofino, which states that "Cubans are good people and resigned" has ever wondered why all of Latin America is experiencing a true renaissance continues to go on a pilgrimage to Cuba, where there are always cultural institutions do not exist in rest of the continent? And according to him, those technicians and workers as well as capable met on the set in Havana, of which country and what philosophy are the children? Let me assure Pannofino and his colleagues, however: Cuba has never been and is not a country resigned, because it's not like Italy today, without pride and without dignity.
And the liberal mainstream press does not distance from the very superficial view of our escapist cinema. Guido Rampoldi Recently, writing in the usual Republic article about the end of socialism in Cuba, and announced more systematically denied by the last half-century history, interview, as the only voice to tell the island in this transition, Manuel Cuesta Morua, historic Afro-Cuban who leads the Socialist Democratic Current, a group infinitesimal, but rival the aforementioned party displayed by Elizardo Sánchez.
Rampoldi takes him on a visit to the Capitol, condemned the government because it has not yet found the money to renovate the monument [but all of Old Havana, Heritage who has rebuilt? Rampoldi?] And concludes hope that one day his friend Manuel will be back in quel'edificio sit in parliament. I humbly remind the fellow that intellectuals such as poet laureate Retamar or the writer Miguel Barnet, or even singer-songwriters like Silvio Rodríguez, Bruce Springsteen invited to a party at Madison Square Garden for the ninety years of Pete Seeger and consciousness of many generations of Revolution, have already done and still are part of the Cuban parliament, even if transferred to another building.
For this reason we believe that 112 of Latin America will please all who love the truth, not information on a leash and reflect on reality, the survival of Cuba, where the West silence and ambiguous, morally comes out with broken bones.


This is an english translation. Original post on: http://www.giannimina-latinoamerica.it/editoriali/608-quale-sara-la-nuova-scusa-per-continuare-ad-angariare-cuba