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Cuba in the News
11/06-2/07
Castro Says on Radio He Feels Stronger 2/28/2007 AP
US sees repression ‘worsening in Cuba’ 2/28/2007 FT
Ex-insider: Cuba has bioweapons 2/28/2007 Miami Herald: "Roberto Ortega, a former army colonel who ran the military's medical services from 1984 to 1994, defected in 2003 and now lives in South Florida.
After living here quietly for four years, this week Ortega went on the Spanish-language media circuit to denounce what he claims is an advanced offensive biological warfare weapons program. He spoke Tuesday night at the University of Miami's Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies where one angry heckler stormed out accusing him of deliberately sowing fear among Cuban exiles.
''They can develop viruses and bacteria and dangerous sicknesses that are currently unknown and difficult to diagnose,'' Ortega told The Miami Herald. ``They don't need missiles or troops. They need four agents, like the people from al Qaeda or the Taliban, who contaminate water, air conditioning or heating systems.''
He said Cuba was ready to use the biological agents ''to blackmail the United States in case of an international incident'' such as the threat of a U.S. invasion."
Florida couple sentenced as Cuban spies 2/27/2007 Reuters: "A Cuban-American couple who worked at a Florida university were sentenced on Tuesday to prison terms for funneling information about Miami's Cuban exiles to the Havana government." [The Miami gangsters have now achieved status as items protected for the sake of US national security, same as a classified document.]
Cuba declines to renew credentials for 3 Havana correspondents 2/23/2007 AP: "Cuban press authorities have told the Havana correspondents for the Chicago Tribune, the BBC and a major Mexican newspaper that they can no longer report from the island.
The Chicago Tribune said correspondent Gary Marx, based in the country since 2002, was told Wednesday that his stories were too negative. His press credentials were not renewed during an annual process, and he and his family were given 90 days to leave Cuba, the newspaper said.
The Mexican newspaper El Universal said Cesar Gonzalez Calero, its Havana reporter since 2003, was told this week his credentials would not be renewed. Authorities told him his reporting was "not the most convenient for the Cuban government," the reporter said, adding he would be allowed to remain in Cuba as the husband of a Spanish journalist.
The British Broadcasting Corp. was "talking to the authorities in Havana about the status of its Cuba correspondent after his accreditation was withdrawn," spokeswoman Karen Rosine said Friday in a statement from London. Without naming correspondent Stephen Gibbs, Rosine said he "remains in Cuba, pending the outcome of these discussions.""
An American in Cuba - Nationality trumps race, and color still matters. But everyone struggles together. 2/21/2007 LA Times: "Yet color does matter here; a common history of slavery assures that. Digna Castañeda, a diminutive, decidedly black woman who teaches history at the University of Havana, said both countries have the infamous one-drop rule, though it is differently applied. "In the U.S., one drop of black blood makes you black," she explained. "But here in Cuba, it's the reverse — one drop of white blood makes you white."
Which is to say, people with any bit of black ancestry like to identify themselves as white or mulatto, not black. This color aversion is awfully familiar to me. But Cuba's law is that there is no institutional racism. It is officially and culturally a mestizo nation. Still, I wonder: Where do they draw the line between mulatto and black? At what point is whiteness undetectable and blackness inarguable? And who draws that line?"
Unique Dissidence: A Conversation with Castro’s Most Prominent Challenger 2/20/2007 National Interest
Ground shifting under U.S. isolation of Cuba 2/18/2007 LA Times
Soyinka: Fidel is an Example for the People of Africa 2/16/2007 Granma: "Soyinka cited Cuba’s contribution to the training of medical personnel from Africa, saying that “this training of young Nigerians who will cure the sicknesses of my people is beautiful and moving”.
The Nobel prizewinner, accompanied by Cuba’s Minister of Culture Abel Prieto, the President of the Cuban Book institute Iroel Sánchez, and National Literature Award winner Nancy Morejón, defended culture as the field upon which to resist and regenerate human values."
Plan prepared for Cuban exodus 2/16/2007 Miami Herald: "Concerned about a possible mass exodus of Cubans, the Department of Defense plans to spend $18 million to prepare part of the U.S. Navy base at Guantánamo Bay to shelter interdicted migrants, U.S. officials told The Miami Herald."
Judge Sets Trial for Castro Foe With U.S. Ties 2/16/2007 NYT: "The judge, Kathleen Cardone of Federal District Court here, set May 11 for jury selection in the case against Luis Posada Carriles, who is also wanted in Venezuela on charges that he planned a deadly jet bombing."
Cuba search engine trawls Castro speeches, not Web 2/16/2007 Reuters
Cuba Denounces US-EU Coup Plans 2/12/2007 Global Research
Cuba to Present African religions´ Dossier 2/9/2007 PL: "A dossier on the African religions and different theological books are among some of the innovations the editorial Caminos will launched at the 16th International Book Fair, announced sources of that headquarter.
Caminos is attached to the Martin Luther King Memorial Center (CMMLK) will provide the readers with new titles."
Embargo divides exiled Cubans 2/7/2007 New Zealand Herald: "There are people my age or older and the ones who were brought up under communism and came here later. Stupid sons of bitches - communism has infected their blood."
Cubans oblivious to terror at Gitmo 2/6/2007 The News, Pakistan
No room at the Hilton: Cubans find US trade ban stretches to Oslo 2/5/2007 Guardian
Debate grows in Cuba six months after hand-over 1/31/2007 Reuters
Cuba TV Shows Castro Meeting With Chavez 1/30/2007 AP: "Cuban state television Tuesday showed a video of a healthier looking Fidel Castro meeting with Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez and saying his recovery was "far from a lost battle," in the first images of the ailing leader in three months."
Legislation would relax Cuba policy 1/26/2007 Washington Times
Castro battling for his life, says Chavez 1/21/2007 Euronews
Soldier fights Cuba travel restrictions 1/20/2007 Miami Herald
Officials: Bomb Found on Witness' Truck 1/17/2007 AP: "The pickup truck on which a pipe bomb was found and later detonated by authorities over the weekend belonged to a key witness in the federal case against jailed Cuban militant Luis Posada Carriles, law enforcement officials said Wednesday.
The FBI had publicly identified the owner of the truck only as a witness in a federal criminal case. But two federal law enforcement officials, speaking on condition of anonymity because the case is under investigation, said Wednesday the witness was Gilberto Abascal, whose testimony is key to the U.S. case charging Posada with lying during immigration naturalization proceedings… The pipe bomb was found Sunday after Abascal apparently noticed the device and drove his truck to Hialeah police headquarters. The bomb was detonated by the Miami-Dade bomb squad, with the investigation led by the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force."
Gore Vidal in Havana By SAUL LANDAU 1/15/2007 Counterpunch
Why is the Irish Government in Lockstep with the US on Cuba?
A Slavish Hostility Toward Cuba 1/3/2007 Counterpunch
Fidel's Final Victory 1/1/2007 Foreign Affairs: "The smooth transfer of power from Fidel Castro to his successors is exposing the willful ignorance and wishful thinking of U.S. policy toward Cuba. The post-Fidel transition is already well under way, and change in Cuba will come only gradually from here on out. With or without Fidel, renewed U.S. efforts to topple the revolutionary regime in Havana can do no good -- and have the potential to do considerable harm."
Regime slowly lifts veil over state of Castro's health 12/29/2006 FT: "The Spanish surgeon called to treat Fidel Castro this week has raised new questions about the future government of Cuba with his statement that the 80-year-old president is not terminally ill and might once more step on to the podium in Havana to berate capitalist folly and imperialist hegemony.
"He is in good condition. Within the confines of doctor-patient privilege, I can say President Castro is not suffering from a malignant condition," José Luis García Sabrido, head of surgery at Madrid's Gregorio Maranon public hospital, told a news conference after returning from Cuba. "He does not have cancer, he has a problem with his digestive system.""
Cuban Diary, July 1968 - A Jeep Trip with Fidel - By SAUL LANDAU 12/25/2006 Counterpunch
Report: Spanish Surgeon to Treat Castro 12/24/2006 AP
Ros-Lehtinen Did Call For Castro's Assassination 12/23/2006 NBC
Martí, el fin de un Mito. 12/20/2006 Concenso: "se dividían en dos bandos: los que están cansados del Martí de una pieza –el Martí de la escuelita, que todos conocemos- y los que siguen creyendo en su mitología con toda la devoción de un creyente. Debo aclarar que los que militan en ambos bandos están lo mismo “allí” que “aquí” de modo que no vale la pena circunscribir la cuestión a un pedazo de tierra."
Castro to Recover but Not Return, Cubans Say 12/18/2006 The Ledger: "Cuban officials told lawmakers from the United States House of Representatives visiting Havana yesterday that President Fidel Castro did not have cancer or any terminal illness and that he would be making a public appearance shortly, according to Rep. William Delahunt, one of the legislators.
But Mr. Delahunt, Democrat of Massachusetts, said he concluded from the delegation’s discussions with senior Cuban officials and diplomats that Mr. Castro would not return to running Cuba on a day-to-day basis."
US envoys start rare Cuba visit 12/15/2006 BBC: "The 10 members of the bipartisan group favour the easing of US sanctions on Cuba and are seeking dialogue.
Jeff Flake, a Republican congressman heading the delegation, said he hoped to meet officials and launch a "new era in US-Cuba relations".
It is not clear whether the team will meet acting President Raul Castro, who has called for better ties with the US."
Gallup: Surpise -- Two in Three Americans Want Diplomatic Ties with Cuba 12/15/2006 Editor & Publisher: "Americans' support for diplomacy with the island nation is higher now than it has been in recent years," Gallup reports, jumping 12% just since 2004.
Surprisingly, support among Republicans (59%) does not lag far behind Democrats (71%)."
Castro near death: Negroponte 12/15/2006 Reuters
That Embezzled Anti-Castro Money 12/14/2006 Counterpunch
U.S. Sees Rise of Hard-Liners in Cuba 12/13/2006 AP: "The brother is his designated successor but many analysts believe a power struggle is inevitable."
638 ways to kill castro 12/11/2006 638waystokillcastro.com: "Check out the clips from the British documentary that raises a whole host of fundamental questions about the US, their relationship with Cuba and Presidential authorisation of assassinations."
Lawmaker denies Castro assassination quote - Ros-Lehtinen says footage in documentary is fake; director stands by it 12/10/2006 NBC: "Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., appears in the 28-second clip made available on the Internet by the makers of a new British documentary, “638 Ways to Kill Castro.”
In it, she says: “I welcome the opportunity of having anyone assassinate Fidel Castro and any leader who is oppressing the people.”
US rejects talks with Cuba's Raul Castro 12/5/2006 AAP
Cubans urge U.S. to relax restrictions 12/5/2006 AP: "Among those demanding the changes are The Cuba Study Group, a nonpartisan Washington-based organization of business and community leaders, the Miami-based Cuban American National Foundation, and the association of Independent Libraries of Cuba.
"I came from the hard-line position," Cuba Study Group Co-Chairman Carlos Saladrigas said. "But isolating a people has not brought us change in 47 years. Isolating a people only helps to support the dictatorship." ...Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart (news, bio, voting record), a longtime supporter of the U.S. embargo on Cuba, said he was glad to see growing consensus among Cuban organizations but that the coalition was missing the larger issue."
Chavez's Victory Strengthens Alliance with Cuba 12/5/2006 Counterpunch: "Fidel's "final hour" appears to have lasted about fifteen years. The alliance with Venezuela in particular could ensure that future efforts at regime change in Havana will continue to fail. Speaking to a rally of hundreds of thousands, a week before his re-election, Chavez took the opportunity to dedicate his victory, in advance, to the Cuban Revolution. No one, of course, should confuse this unequivocal support with the lie that the Bolivarian Revolution aims to copy or import the Cuban system."
Cuban exiles say now is the time to ease US embargo on Cuba 12/4/2006 AFP: "More than 20 Cuban exile groups asked Washington to ease its decades-old embargo on Cuba to facilitate a political transition, now that Fidel Castro appears to have dropped out of public life. "This is a chance to turn the Cubans in exile into agents of change inside Cuba," National Cuban-American Foundation leader Francisco Hernandez told reporters on presenting the Cuban Consensus petition sent to Washington... Hard-core anti-Castro members of the Cuban American community, living mostly in Florida, are adamantly opposed to any easing of the US embargo on Cuba while Fidel Castro, his 75-year old brother or any other designated successor remain in power. US Representative Lincoln Diaz-Balart, a prominent Cuban-American, echoed those anti-Castro sentiments in a response to the Cuban Consensus."
A Rare Silence Reverberates in Castro’s Long Goodbye 12/3/2006 NYT
Raul Castro extends olive branch to U.S. 12/3/2006 Reuters
Cuba's #2 official today was coup leader for JFK in Nov 63, US gov reveals! 12/1/2006 Ultimate Sacrifice: "As reported by Liz Smith in the 9-22-06 NY Post, the US government has revealed that the coup leader for JFK and RFK in November 1963 was Commander Juan Almeida, then head of the Cuban Army. He is currently listed by the CIA as the #2 official in Cuba today (just below Raul Castro)."
After 40 Years, the First National Security Whistleblower Still Seeks Justice 11/30/2006 Common Dreams: published 2/17/06 - "After an outstanding career in law enforcement, Abraham Bolden was appointed by John F. Kennedy to be the first African American presidential Secret Service agent, where he served with distinction. But you haven't heard about Abraham Bolden during Black History month, because after helping to prevent JFK's assassination in the weeks before Dallas, Bolden was arrested on the very day he went to Washington to tell the Warren Commission about those attempts. Caught in a maze of National Security concerns that only became clear after four million pages of JFK files were released in the 1990s, Bolden was sentenced to six years in prison, becoming America's first National Security Whistleblower.
The files released after Congress passed the JFK Act unanimously in 1992 show the massive amount of information that had been withheld from at least five Congressional investigations. Even worse, the Final Report of the JFK Board created by Congress shows that crucial files about attempts against JFK--the cases Bolden worked on--were destroyed by the Secret Service in 1995. And, a report by the government oversight group OMB Watch says that "well over one million CIA records" related to JFK's era remain unreleased, perhaps until the mandatory release date of 2017... Unknown to Bolden until recently, the crux of all this secrecy about the attempts to assassinate JFK in Chicago, Tampa, and Dallas were John and Robert Kennedys' "Plan for a Coup in Cuba" to overthrow Fidel Castro on December 1, 1963. The most secret operation of the Kennedy years, the CIA side of the operation was code-named AMWORLD, a term withheld from five Congressional investigations (and the Warren Commission) and declassified only in the 1990s. It appeared in print for the first time just three months ago. Using declassified files from the National Archives, we found that in the days, weeks, and months before Dallas, Robert Kennedy had a secret government committee looking at how the US could deal with the "assassination of American officials" if Castro found out about the Kennedys' coup plan, and tried to retaliate."
The winds of change are blowing
in Miami 11/23/2006 Granma: "These three reactionary Congress members, the Díaz-Balart brothers and Ileana (the Gabys, Fofós and Milikis, of our political fauna) were reelected by a slight majority. The opponents of all three were political unknowns who had neither the backing of the Democratic Party – even though they were running as Democrats – nor the money to buy even a burger… For everyone in Miami, it is obvious that the votes won by the opponents of the three Congress members were not for the former, but instead a vote of categorical rejection of the other three. It was, above all, a spontaneous vote, without any political entity organizing or backing it.
The vote against these three sinister individuals was against their politics, which is preventing the free exercise of political rights in our community, and via which the minority section of the extreme right – through many means, including the use of terrorism –, has achieved absolute control of this; it was a vote against the policy that arbitrarily denies us our Constitutional rights of being able to travel to Cuba to share with our families, as well as against the sadistic policy of permanent aggression against the safety and well-being of all our families on the island."
Did the CIA kill Bobby Kennedy? 11/20/2006 Guardian: "Morales was a legendary figure in CIA covert operations. According to close associate Tom Clines, if you saw Morales walking down the street in a Latin American capital, you knew a coup was about to happen. When the subject of the Kennedys came up in a late-night session with friends in 1973, Morales launched into a tirade that finished: "I was in Dallas when we got the son of a bitch and I was in Los Angeles when we got the little bastard." From this line grew my odyssey into the spook world of the 60s and the secrets behind the death of Bobby Kennedy.
Working from a Cuban photograph of Morales from 1959, I viewed news coverage of the assassination to see if I could spot the man the Cubans called El Gordo - The Fat One. Fifteen minutes in, there he was, standing at the back of the ballroom, in the moments between the end of Kennedy's speech and the shooting. Thirty minutes later, there he was again, casually floating around the darkened ballroom while an associate with a pencil moustache took notes.
The source of early research on Morales was Bradley Ayers, a retired US army captain who had been seconded to JM-Wave, the CIA's Miami base in 1963, to work closely with chief of operations Morales on training Cuban exiles to run sabotage raids on Castro. I tracked Ayers down to a small town in Wisconsin and emailed him stills of Morales and another guy I found suspicious - a man who is pictured entering the ballroom from the direction of the pantry moments after the shooting, clutching a small container to his body, and being waved towards an exit by a Latin associate.
Ayers' response was instant. He was 95% sure that the first figure was Morales and equally sure that the other man was Gordon Campbell, who worked alongside Morales at JM-Wave in 1963 and was Ayers' case officer shortly before the JFK assassination."
Cuba inches into the Internet Age 11/19/2006 LA Times
Dual economy could trouble Cuba's future 11/17/2006 Miami Herald: "Cubans say the unequal system is the single most exasperating issue facing them. So much of the economy runs on the dollar that the typical family here needs greenbacks to buy everything from razors to bedsheets to shoes -- items largely available only at government stores that price their goods in dollar equivalents. Yet the average worker earns 250 pesos a month -- about $10.
''In Cuba, money is worthless,'' said dissident Lizette Fernández who left Cuba in August and now lives in Hialeah. ``You get soap two times a year, and when you run out, you have to go to the dollar store, where it costs 75 (U.S.) cents. There is virtually nothing you need that you can buy with Cuban pesos.''
Before she left Cuba, Fernández helped kick off a campaign demanding that all government establishments sell goods in a single currency -- pesos."
Where is the Justice? Anti-Castro Terrorist Gets Only 4 Years 11/16/2006 Counterpunch: "A man like Santiago Alvarez, who can be heard on a telephone, calling on one of his underlings to throw C-4 explosives into Havana's Tropicana nightclub and "do away with all that"--all that being hundreds of people--a man like Santiago Alvarez who had machine guns, bazookas and grenades in a massive Miami arsenal, is sentenced to only a four-year prison sentence this week in a southern Florida federal court.
Yet, the Cuban Five, five men who were in Miami working to prevent a terrorist like Alvarez from killing innocent people, who never possessed a weapon, who never engaged nor intended to engage in the "espionage conspiracy" they were falsely convicted of, received 15 years to double life after their 2001 trial, and the added punishment of being denied family visits."
Dissidents blew American 'aid' millions on luxuries for Cuba 11/16/2006 Guardian: "Cuban dissidents who were given millions of dollars by the US government to support democracy in their homeland instead blew money on computer games, cashmere sweaters, crabmeat and chocolates, which were then sent to the island.
A scathing congressional audit of democracy assistance programmes found "questionable expenditure" by several groups funded by Washington in opposition to President Fidel Castro's rule on the communist Caribbean island."
Congressmen criticize U.S. aid to Cuba 11/15/2006 Miami Herald: "''The conclusions are disturbing, to say the least,'' Massachusetts Democrat Bill Delahunt said of a report by the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of Congress.
The GAO report said more than 95 percent of U.S. Agency for International Development programs for Cuba were handed out without any competitive bids and were then subject to only perfunctory reviews. It cites questionable purchases of items like cashmere sweaters and crab meat for dissidents on the island.
Delahunt is set to become chairman of the Oversight and Investigations panel of the House Committee on International Relations when the Democratic-controled Congress reconvenes early next year.
He also is co-chair with Arizona Republican Rep. Jeffrey Flake of the Cuba Working Group, a bipartisan caucus that opposes many U.S. sanctions against Cuba. Flake and Delahunt requested the GAO study."
Cuba's military puts business on front lines 11/15/2006 WSJ: "Cuba's Revolutionary Armed Forces rent rooms to tourists through Gaviota SA, the island's fastest-growing hotel conglomerate. They sell premium cigars, peddle consumer goods through an island-wide retail chain and serve lobster dinners at the Divina Pastora restaurant in Havana's landmark Morro Castle. The military also has a say in allotting nickel mines and leasing offshore lots for oil exploration. The University of Miami's Institute for Cuban and Cuban-American Studies estimates that soldiers control more than 60 percent of the island's economy.
The military's economic role will likely become even more critical after the death of Cuba's ailing 80-year-old leader, Fidel Castro, who is widely believed to be dying of cancer. Although Mr. Castro has steadfastly opposed economic reforms during his 47-year communist regime, his younger brother and anointed successor, Raul, has shown a deep interest in free-market experiments in the past. As defense minister since the 1959 revolution, he has frequently looked to the military as his laboratory."
U.S.: Castro's Health Is Deteriorating 11/13/2006 AP: "U.S. government officials say there is still some mystery about Castro's diagnosis, his treatment and how he is responding. But these officials believe the 80-year-old leader has cancer of the stomach, colon or pancreas.
He was seen weakened and thinner in official state photos released late last month, and it is considered unlikely that he will return to power or survive through the end of next year, said the U.S. government and defense officials. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly about the politically sensitive topic.
With chemotherapy, Castro may live up to 18 months, said the defense official."
Why black cubans support the revolution 11/9/2006 Socialist Action: published 9/94
Foreign banks in Cuba feel heat of U.S. regulations 11/8/2006 Miami Herald: "Trying to deny resources to Cuba's communist system, the Bush administration has long pushed the Treasury Department's Office of Foreign Assets Control, which enforces U.S. sanctions on foreign countries, to keep a more vigilant eye on Havana. So far, much of the focus has centered on restrictions on cultural and academic exchanges and visits by Cuban Americans.
But OFAC also has quietly stepped up its oversight of foreign banks that deal with Cuba, like the giant UBS of Switzerland and HSBC Group of Britain. Since most either have U.S. branches or use the services of U.S.-based companies, they are subject to U.S. embargo laws. Given the U.S. clout in the global marketplace, this has sent shock waves to financial firms that do business with Havana.
''It's very effective,'' said Ignacio Sanchez, a Washington trade attorney with the law firm DLA Piper, noting that most of the world's money flows go through U.S. financial centers."
Wayne Smith: US Cuba Policy on a Dead End 11/7/2006 PL
A real slice of Cuba in Tampa? 11/7/2006 St Petersburg Times: "On that land once stood a house owned by Afro-Cuban patriot Paulina Pedroso. When Marti traveled to Tampa, seeking support for efforts to free Cuba from Spanish rule, he often stayed there.
Marti died in battle in 1895, but Cuba gained its independence. The Pedrosos moved to Cuba in 1910 and sold the property. It was purchased in 1951 by a couple living in Havana who wanted to give the property to the Cuban state as a memorial to Marti."
Fla. legislator charged, resigns after phone message scandal involving racial slur 11/1/2006 AP: "Arza, who is Cuban-American, acknowledged leaving the message on fellow Republican Rep. Gus Barreiro's voice mail last month but said he was drunk. He said he had learned that Barreiro had filed a complaint accusing him of using a racial epithet to refer to Miami-Dade County School Superintendent Rudy Crew, who is black. He used the same epithet in his phone message to Barreiro, who is Hispanic, but has vehemently denied ever using a racial slur to refer to Crew. Prosecutors charged Arza with retaliating against and tampering with a witness, both felonies, for allegedly trying to thwart the investigation of the complaint. Arza's cousin was also charged with the same offenses. They could get up to 10 years in prison."
After 46 Years of Failure, We Must Change Course on Cuba - The US is deaf to the almost unanimous international view: its embargo is a block on positive change in Havana - by Wayne S Smith 11/1/2006 Common Dreams
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