According to Exiles...

So I’m looking for ANY kind of news of what is going on in Cuba today and I wind up on the Miami Herald’s website.

And there, camouflaged between the stories about how wonderful the Cuban tourism is doing, (unfortunately there is always a demand for underage sexual tourism), and Raúl’s travel itinerary and Barack Obama’s challenge of finally “conceding” “failure” and changing the US policy towards Cuba due to the pressure of foreign governments, (presumably from the same governments that unscornfully supply the sexual tourists), was an article on how Cuban police are detaining activists prior to Human Rights Day. And I was happy.

For a New York minute.

As I was looking for a quote to paste in this here post, it hit me. Here’s the quote:

Up to a dozen human rights activists have been detained in Cuba in police operations apparently intended to keep them from attending Human Rights Day events in Havana on Wednesday, according to exile groups in Miami.

According to exile groups in Miami.

You know why that is? It’s because if exile groups in Miami don’t do it, nobody will.

The Associated Press, Reuters, et al are always there to write about Cuba’s free healthcare and education, but never about their cost. They’re always there to “report” about Cuba’s sugar harvest but never about Cuba’s hunger. The “reporters” are always there to tell us about the Cuban tourism, but never about its captives.

Those stories are almost always told according to “exiles.”

And that’s why, I for one, am glad that not only is President Bush raising awareness about the oppressed people of the world by hosting the roundtable discussion that Prieto is attending, but also for pointing out that it is up to citizens, using the freedom of the internet, to bear witness to the oppression and injustice worldwide-because the free press isn’t doing their jobs.

And that is why Babalu is here and why Val is in DC when he would rather be in Mancamp... according to this exile.

Posted by Gusano at December 10, 2008 12:59 PM