Babalu Blog: The Argentinian Executioner Diet

July 19, 2007

The Argentinian Executioner Diet

If you havent had breakfast yet, dont. If you have had breakfast already, get yourself the nearest bucket or trashcan and set it right next to you. That way, you wont have to run to the bathroom as you feel the bile rising.

Ladies and gentlemen, I submit to you "the che guevara recordings as sold at the Smithsonian Institution."

A couple of quick searches for Stalin, Hitler and Mao yielded no results to tracks or recordings made by the men themselves. It is only the argentinian butcher of La Cabaña and his bearded cohort that have the honor of having their voices and speeches up for sale at the non-profit American Institution.

To add insult to injury, che guevara's recordings are on the "Paredon Records" record label.

If youre as incensed as I am, here's the contact information for Smithsonian Global Sound. Let's all give them a swift slap upside the head with a clue-by-four.

Hat tip: Joe L.

Update: Here's my letter to the director of Smithsonian Global Voices:

Mr. Sheehy, My name is Valentin Prieto and I am founder and editor of Babalu Blog - a weblog focusing on Cuba and Cuban-American issues. A reader emailed a link to your global sound page where recordings of Ernesto "Che" Guevara are readily available for purchase. While to some, che guevara is an icon of selflessness and sacrifice for the "poor and downtrodden', to Cuban exiles - those that know the truth about the man - he is nothing more and nothing less than a murderer of innocents. He is known as "the Butcher of La Cabaña", La Cabaña being the prison over which he presided with ruthlessness and inhumanity. I find it appalling that an institution such as yours would readily provide recordings made by a man like this, especially since after a search for "Hitler" and "Stalin" and "Mao" yielded no results of any recordings made by those men. To add egregious insult to injury, there's also the record label listed for guevara's recordings, "Paredon Records". You see, during Mr. Guevara's stint as jailer and executioner in La Cabaña, when a "prisoner" was to be executed he was taken from his cell and placed in front of a wall where the firing squad awaited. That wall was and is still called "El Paredon." You will undoubtedly be recieving many emails today regarding this as I have written about this heartless affront on Babalu and will be forwarding this information to every single person, media outlet, government official, etc.. that will listen in the hopes that this murderer's words are lifted from your website. Thank you, Val Prieto Founder and Editor www.babalublog.com

Posted by Val Prieto at July 19, 2007 07:06 AM

Comments

Take a look at the producer's webpage (right side scroll down)

Posted by: LaConchita at July 19, 2007 08:17 AM

Le ronca los cojones.

Posted by: Val Prieto at July 19, 2007 08:27 AM

This Barbara Dane is one of the original IDIOTS...and I quote from her BIO:

-"In l966, Barbara Dane became the first U.S. musician to tour post-revolutionary Cuba. The impact on the Cuban public was indelible, and she soon returned to take part in an international festival where she met other like-minded singers from all over the world. Through some of these singers, she was invited to tour in both Western and Eastern Europe, Mexico, Nicaragua, and the Far East, even to North Vietnam and the liberated areas of the South as the war still raged.

This is a worthless traiterous piece of trash supporting this country's enemies "WHILE THE WAR STILL RAGED" and our boys where dying on the battlefield.

This ALONE should be an indictment to put againts this COMMIE-SUPPORTING BITCH on the Smithsonian and ALL THEIR CONTRIBUTORS. I wonder how all their contributors would like it if they found out that they were supporting this BITCH making all this "blood money" of their name????

Posted by: LaConchita at July 19, 2007 08:28 AM

Put in my two cents. And thanks-

Posted by: ruth at July 19, 2007 09:25 AM

And my letter to this taxpayer funded organization:

Hello:

Do you have any Hitler coffee mugs to go with your Che paraphernalia? I was not aware that the Smithsonian traffics in mass murderer marketing. Could you get me some of your merchandise with a picture of the time Che pulled a piston and shot a young teenage boy in the head killing him instantly just for asking him, "Why are you taking my family's farm"

Perhaps you did not know that Che was responsible for the mass murder of thousands of Cubans - many killed by him personally. Now you do. I await your response. But I'll tell you what...the mainstream media is going to here about this and we'll see how Americans respond to this Che worship. Somebody's head needs to roll because of this foolishness.

Sincerely,

Tomas Estrada-Palma

Posted by: Tomas Estrada-Palma at July 19, 2007 10:02 AM

Well put, Tomas!

Posted by: LaConchita at July 19, 2007 10:13 AM

It's even WORSE than it appears, because the Smithsonian isn't just a tax exempt non-profit, it's "administered and funded by the government of the United States and by funds from its endowment" according to Wikipedia; I suspect its "endowment" dried up a LONG time ago. We're PAYING for this crap, folks.

Posted by: Frankestein En La Playa at July 19, 2007 10:24 AM

Val:

Good show! These idiots keep pushing, and we need to push them back.

Larry

Posted by: Larry Daley at July 19, 2007 10:55 AM

"developed—and eventually creative--Marxist economist"

That's the most ignorant statement ever made about Che.

Posted by: jsb at July 19, 2007 11:16 AM

Professor Bonachea of Unidad Cubana has been informed of this and we are preparing our letters of protest to these folks as well as E-bay, Verizon, Sprint, and Univision Mobil. We will be copying all 6 Cuban-American members of the US congress and senate in Washington.
We need to put the che worshipers out of business!
This needs to be classified as a hate crime!

Posted by: Jewbana at July 19, 2007 11:20 AM

my $0.05'w worth message to Sheehy:

"Mr. Sheehy, this morning I checked into the recordings of failed Marxist guerrilla self-appointed icon, Ernesto (Che) Guevara, that are on sale at the Global Sounds page run by the Smithsonian. While you have the liberty to sell anything under our free market system, I find it detestable that a taxpayer-funded institution like the SI would have the grand gall of selling these recordings with no other soundbite than a one-sided commentary by one Mr. Lopez describing Che as "Physician, brilliant intellect, competent soldier, charismatic leader..." It has to be one of the most disgusting exercises in revisionist history ever posted on the web.

It is quite unfortunate that the dearth of historical competency in U.S. public schools leads many students, and particularly collegians, to accept the image of Che Guevara as some maverick figure larger than life, when in reality he was a murderous, misguided product of an ideology decades proven to be a failure in every spot on the globe where it has taken root. My family fled Cuba four decades ago as a result of the implementation of Che and his cohort's insane absolutism and political oppression.

It's additionally unfortunate that Che has acquired more ligitimacy in death than he ever had in life, thanks to the propaganda piped and pushed by non-historians with an agenda to deceive unsuspecting young minds -- and sell T-shirts. To that end, the Smithsonian has become another player contributing to public ignorance by stamping a mark of approval on the Che myth, without any challenges. Instead, you ought to provide your readers and potential buyers with a comprehensive background of historical accuracy on his life ~ in the spirit of the original intent of the Smithsonian founder."

/s/

Posted by: Gigi at July 19, 2007 11:21 AM

Gig,

That was perfect.

Posted by: Val Prieto at July 19, 2007 11:37 AM

Sir, as a tax paying American citizen, I am shocked to learn that the Smithsonian, a repository of American culture is marketing a mass murderer. Che Guevara was a mass murdering tyrant, not the ideal revolutionary hero made famous by Cuban propaganda and marketed as a pop culture icon for the downtrodden. His crimes, though fewer in number, were just as heinous as those committed by Stalin, Hitler, Mao, or Pol Pot.

As a government institution, is the Smithsonian not bound by the U.S. Government code of ethics? How can marketing this genocidal madman, a founder of Cuba’s totalitarian state, a sworn enemy of the United States, be in compliance with the federal ethics policy? How can marketing material promoting a man who stands for summary executions, and the systematic denial of all human rights promote the spirit of America, a society based on the rule of law and individual rights?

Marketing Che Guevara is a grave affront to American ideals and a hateful assault to the survivors of his terror, the Cuban exile community. For obvious reasons, I am sure the Smithsonian is not selling Hitler items or speeches from the Klu Klux Klan. Marketing Che Guevara is equally hateful and offensive. In the name of decency, please remove all items endorsing this mass murdering tyrant.

Ziva Sahl, Los Angeles

Posted by: Ziva at July 19, 2007 12:25 PM

Val, thanks for the heads up, disgusting as it is. SI will be added to our "Guilty of Historical Ignorance List". Gigi, that was the most eloquent mecagoentumadre condemnation I have ever read! You write the next petition!
Omar Fernandez

Posted by: KeyWasted at July 19, 2007 12:29 PM

Here are more addresses from the Smithsonian department that offred the recordings

Richard Kurin, Director. 202.633-5229, kurin@si.edu

Richard Kennedy, Deputy Director. 202.633-6434, rich@si.edu

Diana Parker, Director, Smithsonian Folklife Festival. 202.633-0653, dianaparker@si.edu

Daniel Sheehy, Director and Curator, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. 202.633-6455 sheehyd@si.edu

Betty Belanus, Education Specialist. 202.633-6469, belanub@si.edu

Marquinta Bell, Administrative Specialist. 202.633-0643, bellm@si.edu

Kevin Blackerby, Development Officer. 202.633-6436, blackerbyk@si.edu

Richard Burgess, Director Marketing and Sales, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. 202.633-6452, burgessr@si.edu

Olivia Cadaval, Folklorist and Chair, Cultural Research & Education. 202.633-6473, cadavalo@si.edu

Krystyn Confair, Design Director. 202.633-6442, confairk@si.edu

Lee Michael Demsey, Customer Service Representative, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. 202.633-6463, lee@si.edu

Betty Beuck Derbyshire, Financial Operations Manager, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. 202.633-6446, derbyshireb@si.edu

James Deutsch, Curator. 202.633-6465, deutschj@si.edu

Toby Dodds, Technology Manager. 202.633-6461, doddst@si.edu

James Counts Early, Director, Cultural Heritage Policy. 202.633-6464, earlyj@si.edu

John Franklin, Program Manager. 202.633-4752, franklinj@si.edu

Nancy Groce, Folklorist. 202.633-6467, grocen@si.edu

Mark Gustafson, Marketing Specialist, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. 202.633-6457, gustafsonm@si.edu

Marjorie Hunt, Education Specialist. 202.633-6471, huntm@si.edu

Stephen Kidd, Production Manager. 202.633-2871, kidds@si.edu

Helen Lindsay, Lead Customer Service Representative, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. 202.633-6462, lindsayh@si.edu

Keisha Martin, Financial Assistant, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. 202.633-6447, martink@si.edu

Mary Monseur, Production Manager, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. 202.633-6454, monseur@folkways.si.edu

Margot Nassau, Royalties and Licensing Manager, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. 202.-633-6448, nassaum@si.edu

Diana Baird N'Diaye, Cultural Specialist. 202.633-6472, ndiaye@si.edu

Jeff Place, Archivist. 202.633-6438, PlaceJ1@si.edu

Arlene Reiniger,Program Specialist and Intern Coordinator. 202.633-6443, reinigera@folklife.si.edu

Pete Reiniger, Sound Production Supervisor, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. 202.633-6449, reinigerp@si.edu

Robert Schneider, Technical Director. 202.633-0658, schneiderr@si.edu

Amy Schriefer, Program Assistant, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. 415.567-0932 schriefera@si.edu

Anthony Seeger, Curator Emeritus, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings, aseeger@ucla.edu

Ronnie Simpkins, Audio Recording Specialist, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. 202.633-6445, ronnie@si.edu

Rebecca Smerling, Assistant to the Director, 202-633-0644, smerlingR@si.edu

John Smith, Sales & Marketing Specialist, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. 202.633-6458 smithjm@si.edu

Stephanie Smith, Assistant Archivist. 202.633-6439, smithsdl@si.edu

D. A. Sonneborn, Associate Director, Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. 202.633-6451, sonneborna@si.edu

Barbara Strickland, Assistant Director, Finance and Administration. 202.633-1151, stricklandb@si.edu

Claudia Telliho, Administrative Specialist. 202.633-0639, tellihoc@si.edu

Tom Vennum, JR. Senior Ethnomusicologist Emeritus. vennumt@si.edu

Charles Weber, Media Specialist. 202.633-6441, WeberC@si.edu
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Posted by: mandingo at July 19, 2007 05:07 PM