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I soooo want to meet Carlos Eire one day. He expresses himself so wella and so eloquently, and I have no clue how he survives in Yale.

This "news story" /opinion piece has been around for years. It gets dusted off every now and then and reworded in newspaper editorials around the country by less creative writers. No matter how brilliant Prof Eire's response may be, this won't stop.
Perhaps the response needs to be repeated more often, or at least whenever the next dingbat "reporter" decides to reword and publish this bit of "news".

Sometimes I wonder if the Media even cares when we complain. What we need is a free Cuba then all the stories can come out of the abuses. Maybe they think that if Cuba is free the media will lose ratings or something. I dont understand their ignorance on this issue. I am befuddled!

The bottom line is that TV Marti is a failure in terms of actually reaching the people of Cuba.

Radio Marti however, is a whole different story. It is a 100 percent success, easily accessible on the AM dial and quite popular.

Still, with regards to Professor Eire's contention that "Does he have any idea how much it costs the Cuban government to jam those signals, and how they can ill afford to spend their meagre resources for such purposes? This is no Chinese water torture, drip, drip drip, or some mere annoyance. This is a fire hose aimed straight at a repressive regime, a powerful weapon designed to weaken it."

He makes a great point there - one that hadn't occurred to me.

Well done.

-AB

These big media elites will one day reap what they sow...

I certainly applaud Dr. Eire's response, but I'm afraid this is casting pearls before swine (just like his letter to the Washington Post in response to the infamous recent Oliphant cartoon). I'm not suggesting he should say nothing, but we're clearly fighting a very uphill battle, which has always been the case. We're basically on our own, as those who supposedly champion freedom and democracy have mostly turned out to be hypocrites at best.

The distortions, half-truths and outright lies, the blatant opportunism, the brazen double-standard will not stop. The only remedy is to, somehow, set Cuba free, and then operate on OUR terms and tell it EXACTLY like it was and like it is. The shameless bastards, who are legion, will never willingly give us a break because it's the right thing to do. They don't give a shit about the right thing. We have to do this by and for ourselves; otherwise, forget it.

Anatasio,

Yes TV Marti has been a failure, however now the channel is broadcast locally in Miami on the Azteca America signal nightly. Because of "must carry" laws and so forth, Direct TV and Dish Network have to pick up the signals. As you know in Cuba there is vast network of illegal satellite dishes that in turn are the source for illegal cable TV operations. Right now TV Marti signals are getting through via this channel. Whether people are watching that or "La cosa nostra" or other programming from Miami and around the world is a different story but the signals are getting through.

Likewise radio Marti is being simulcast nightly on Radio Mambi for a couple of hours. With 50,000 watts the signal is being broadcast with more intensity than ever before.

Henry,

I've never been able to see TV Marti in Cuba - on sets with clandestine satellite dishes or otherwise. The only people I've ever spoken to who were able to sort of see it, spoke of a very poor transmission - lots of wavy lines, interference, that sort of thing.

Lord knows I tried to catch it but have never been successful.

-AB

PS: How are the twins???

I expect TV Marti has failed for a similar reason that the embargo has "failed." There's never been a serious enough determination to make it succeed.

Timing is everything…

Right now the MSM, castro’s apologists, “dialoguers,” U.S. interests groups, the International left, and OTHERS are putting out a TREMENDOUS PROPAGANDA effort to consolidate raulita’s reign in Cuba and do away with the opposition (both in Cuba and in exile). Doing away with TV/Radio Marti, ending the embargo and discrediting the Cuban exile community are of the utmost importance to reach their goal.

Folks, the wheels are turning mighty fast and everything you read, hear or see to discredit US is done ON PURPOSE. Remember, “the END justifies the MEANS.”

Sometimes I wonder if the Media even cares when we complain.

Not so much maybe about Cuba specifically, but when they look at their rating and circulation numbers, they have to be at least privately worried that maybe they are alienating huge chunks of the country.

I think this is reflected some in ABC allowing Stossel to counter Moore (even if he didn't show the videos) and especially when Katie Couric actually took the time to report the good news from Anbar and Diyala.

I love Carlos Eire! well not in that way, but you know what I mean.

Carlos Eire is incredible smart and debonair, he looks and sounds like a Cuban William F Buckley or George Will - I have seen him speak - he makes Castro apologists look like the crazed psychopaths that they are when he tares them intellectually to shreads at book readings or during the q&a portion of a talk!

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