Federal Judge Rules in Favor of the Seven Mile Bridge Rafters

via The Real Cuba

A federal judge ruled Tuesday that the U.S. government acted unreasonably when it sent home 15 Cubans who had made it to abandoned bridge under the presumption they weren't actually on U.S. soil.

U.S. District Judge Federico Moreno ordered the federal government to make its best effort to help the immigrants to return to the United States, said Kendall Coffey, an attorney for the Cubans and their relatives.

Read the whole story here.

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Another Must Read

It's a bit long, but well worth taking a few minutes to read. From Canada's National Post, via The Real Cuba:

The Real Cuba: Since the days of Pierre Trudeau, Canadians have idealized Cuba as a beleaguered socialist utopia. As this insider shows, the truth is very different

Eyes of truth

It is said that a man's eyes are the mirror to his soul. Hatred, deceit, sorrow, kindness. They all show through a man's eyes.

Good friend and artist Pat Texidor felt compelled to sketch the following likeness of Cuban Journalist Guillermo Fariñas who went on a hunger strike for freedom of information:

You will notice his emaciated physique, a product of his will and determination to starve himself for what he believes in. But despite the frailty of his body, his eyes tell a different story: an unimaginable strength. A strength of knowing. A strength of conviction. A strength of righteousness.

Gracias, Pat. For capturing the essence of this man with the courage to give his life for what he believes in.

Today's must read is at Texidor Blog.

And please, dont forget to sign the petition for Mr. Fari񡳮

(I also urge you all to visit Texidor Fine Art and enjoy Pat's other fine works. Any one of his pieces would be perfect company for that one lonely bare wall in you home.)

An Open Letter from a Cuban Dissident

Marc posted this letter at Uncommon Sense and I felt it necessary to post it here at Babalú as well.

From Independent Journalist and former political prisoner Jorge Olivera Castillo:

Open letter to leaders of the U.S., Canada and European Union

By Jorge Olivera

HAVANA, February 27 (Jorge Olivera) - Given the notable worsening of repression in Cuba against everyone who exercises rights consigned by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, I've decided to write to you asking, today more than ever, your solidarity and support.

Actions undertaken by the government in the last few months have reached such levels that they could be considered state terrorism.

Gangs encouraged by the political police have carried out beatings and raids, among other forms of attack no less alarming.

The worst of this repressive spiral is the impunity of the events. Real and potential victims find themselves completely abandoned since there is no institution in the country to handle their complaints.

The Communist Party has monopolized for 47 years concepts like homeland, country and state, without leaving any civic space for those who differ with the current ideology.

The terror has reached a dimension that keeps the Cuban family permanently frightened. The defenselessness and the cruelty of the repressors have taken root in the double moral and the silence of the majority who fear going to jail or receiving the stigma of being a counterrevolutionary and immediately being marginalized and suffering the inherent punishment of a system that tramples on one without anyone caring.

I am a witness of the abuse and cruelty. I was sentenced to 18 years imprisonment in April of 2003 for practicing journalism without the supervision of official censors. Sick, they placed me in a barely lit cell infested with insects. I had to drink contaminated water and the food was regularly served in a state of putrefaction.

On December 6, 2004, after 20 months and 18 days of the cruelest treatment, the penal authorities conditionally freed me for reasons of health.

Now they plan to return me to jail. They will not allow me or my family to go into exile. Immigration officials deny us an exit visa, a process that reflects on the country in which we live.

To psychologically destabilize me and increase my colon problems, court officials of the municipality where I live have communicated to me new rules to humiliate and blackmail me.

Since February 21, I have been prohibited to go outside the limits of Havana without court authorization, nor to participate in any celebrations or public events, and they want to put me in a job chosen by the court, which will supervise my conduct along with members of the Communist Party, unions and others from the center where I'll be assigned.

If I fail to do this, they threaten to return me to prison. Their intentions are arbitrary and tortuous, for which reason I call your attention about what might happen to me in the future.

I dearly plead for you to use your good offices in favor of those in Cuba who work for reconciliation and the peaceful transition to democracy and pluralism.

Illegal-alien opera star begs to stay

Somehow, I didn't think an opera star could also be an illegal alien, but the debacle in this story, here, describes the plight of a Buffalo opera star, Maria Perez, who is about to be forced back into the arms of Hugo Chavez, along with the hell he's made of Venezuela. The U.S. is about to deport her for overstaying her visa. Canada threw her out earlier.

She's missed one hearing, so she's not the most responsible person in the world, but her transgression is relatively minor, and she's also telling the truth about her grim plight and her bleak prospects for survival in Hugo Chavez's Venezuela.

Crime is all over the place in Caracas, there are absolutely no jobs, and she isn't going to be able to sing opera in a place like that.

The fact that she's gone public is another strike against her - Chavez keeps lists of opponents like her who make his "revolution" look bad, and he exacts a certain revenge when he can.

Her case illustrates the growing numbers of pleas for asylum as Chavez castrofies Venezuela. She is not the first one to beg for asylum and she surely will not be the last. Not while Venezuela is being run by communist thugs as it is now.

I think she should be shown some mercy and allowed to stay. She teaches music and is a productive citizen. And more to the point, opera is a rare and unusual gift to be able to give society, a gift very few people have. Opera raises the quality of life of a place - especially in some place like Buffalo.

She needs help. She deserves to stay.

castro runs out of rum

Anybody surprised? Cuba, the rum capital of the universe, has the world's finest, lightest, most exquisite rum. It also has a global customer base with a taste for it and one that's perfectly willing to buy it at almost any price.

And still, under castroite communism, the rum shortages appear. Only a communist regime can do this, nobody else can. But it takes a particular kind of incompetence to run out of a trademark product of excellence like Cuban rum. Not even the evil Czech communists ran out of Pilsner beer. But somehow, castro figured out a way to run out of rum.

Shortages are a fact of life in Cuba, illustrating communist mismanagement in full. Chavez's Venezuela is running out of oil. Zimbabwe is running out of wheat. Vietnam, pre-doi moi ran out of rice. Mao's China ran out of everything. And now, rum is a thing of the past in castro's island paradise. It's pretty disgusting.

The story is here

Alcohol shortage cuts Havana rum production

Havana, Feb 27 (EFE).- Rum, Cuba's "national drink," is getting scarce due to a shortage of alcohol supplies for its producer/distributor in the Cuban capital.

Dora Carbonell, assistant production manager for the Drinks and Soda Company who is in charge of production and distribution in the Havana area, said in a statement published Monday in the weekly magazine "Workers" that in January there was already no way to supply rum to the Cadena distribution network for products sold in Cuban pesos.

"In January we sold nothing to Cadena and in February only 2,170 cases, but since this month we have received none of the necessary raw materials, there's a danger we will not even be able to export what we had projected for March," Carbonell said. Cuba produces some 34 commercial brands of rum and has 11 plants dedicated to its production for export.

The island produces a total of 43 million cases of rum for both export and domestic sales per year, according to statistics of the Food Industry Ministry. EFE jlp/cd

Here we go again...

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(H/T Mike Pancier)

Need a good laugh?

Just read the signs.

Trading with the Enemy

I wonder what all those thousands of dead Cubans represented at the Cuban Memorial would have to say about Nebraska's third trade delegation to Cuba?

They might have been able to voice their opinions were it not for the fact that the man the Nebraska government is essentially dealing with is the very same man that caused their deaths.

Future Cuban Memorial Design

During Saturday's ceremonies at the Cuban Memorial event the design for a permanent homage honoring the victims of fidel castro's regime who paid with their lives for the freedom of Cuba was unvelied.

Designed by Cuban-American architect Willy Borroto, it will be erected at the site where this weekend's Memorial was held.

Here is a rendering of the new Memorial elevation:

And here is a rendering of the new Memorial perspective:

According to Mr. Borroto, the monolith of the Cuban flag will sit within a pool of water, representing the island of Cuba. The pool of water sits in the center of a star - the star of the Cuban flag. At each point in the star will stand a pillar with the names of those who died as a result of fidel castro's regime and each pillar will have pieces of broken mirrors that represent the separation of Cubans from their homeland as well as the separation of Cubans from their families.

"You look into a broken mirror," Mr. Borroto said, "and you see the whole of yourself in pieces." The pieces may be separated, but the whole is still Cuban.

The monument will be protected by a circle of palmas Cubanas that symbolize not the past nor the future, but eternity.

UPDATE: If you are interested in making a contribution for the Cuban Memorial, the information is at the Memorial Cubano website. (scroll down for donation information)

Revolutionary Integration

Supporters of fidel castro's regime always cite the 100% literacy and free education thing when trying to convince us - and themselves - how great the revolution is. Yet this is just another misrepresentation from fidel castro's propaganda machine.

The Real Cuba has photos of a typical Cuban student's file - more like a dossier really - that prove that education in Cuba isnt free. Cubans pay a high price for their and their children's education: their dignity.

Every student and every student's parent is forced to belong to one or more revolutionary political organ. Failure to become a member at any one of these will be noted on said dossier and will prevent the student from seeking higher education.

The Real Cuba has the details of the above picture here.

Crosses - Another Perspective

This is not meant to supersede Val's post below, but I thought I would share my experience at the Cuban Memorial this morning.

Seeing the over 10,000 crosses is quite an experience. If you've ever been to Arlington National Cemetary, then you have an idea of what it's like. Once you begin to walk through the rows and rows of crosses, that's when it begins to sink in. The names of people on the crosses, along with dates and location where they were executed leaves quite an impression.

Each of those people had a family, a purpose in life, a dream. All of them died for no reason other than to fulfill some madman's wishes. What a waste, what a shame.

I can't begin to imagine the hard work that was put in by the volunteers to place each styrofoam cross on the ground and nail it down so they wouldn't get blown away. It was definitely a labor of love. There are two tents set up for donations and to leave testimonials of the victims. I met my father there this morning and went to the crosses bearing the names of cousins, five of them to be exact, who were executed between 1959 and 1962. Afterward, we headed to one of the tents where my father provided one of the volunteers with information regarding our fallen relatives. The Cuban Memorial organizers want to build an archive where the stories of each victim can be told not only for the present but for future generations as well.

The crosses swayed in the gusty breezes of a late February day. As they moved, they made a somewhat eerie sound. Seeing the crosses sway back and forth and make sounds in the breeze, I couldn't help but think that this was a sign: a sign that the memories of those names on the crosses are still alive and burning in our hearts. They were reminding us that their lives didn't end in vain, they died with the purpose and desire for freedom.

Crosses

Just got back from the Cuban Memorial ceremony and I am a complete basket case. You can see a millions pictures of those 10,000 crosses all laid out but it doesnt even come close to being physically standing there amid that sea of remembrance. It is unbelieveably overwhelming.

I am finding it hard to put words together right now to describe today's experience. I think I need to let today soak in some more. Compose myself and rein in the emotions. Else what you guys would be reading would be an incoherent babble.

Julio Zangroniz - bless him - took about 200 pictures which we downloaded unto a laptop and Ill be going through tonight, most likely through tears.

Trust me when I say this, seeing ten thousand crosses with names and dates and names of cities in Cuba and in some cases how the person died - and in every single case seeking freedom - it does something to you. It changes something inside you.

I hope tomorrow, after having calmed down a bit and getting a good night's sleep, I can come even remotely close to relating just what the Cuban memorial really is.

I was gonna write the following with the real Cuban Memorial post, but I need to get it out right now:

While la revolucion and fidel castro put up flags, free Cubans put up crosses for their dead.

The Cuban Memorial

We will be heading out to Tamiami Park in a bit, despite the fact that the Cuban Memorial services arent scheduled to begin until 5 pm. It rained all night last night with an average in the area of about 3 inches of water and I figure they are going to need some help resetting all the crosses.

The above is a photo taken by Julio Zangroniz during yesterday's prepaprations for today's event.

Black Spring

Editor and Publisher has an article on the recent increase in the crack down on independent jounalism in Cuba by fidel castro's government:

CHICAGO (February 22, 2006) -- Almost three years after the notorious mass arrests and show trials of 75 independent journalists, librarians and others, Fidel Castro's Cuba is once more cracking down harshly on the nation's tiny independent press, free-press groups say.

In recent days, the alarm about a wave of violence, threats and official persecution against the press has been raised by such groups as the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) in New York City, the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) in Miami, and Reporters Without Borders (RSF for its initials in French) in Paris.

fidel castro's regime is always boasting about their "Battle of Ideas". Yet the battle is merely against shadows as they do not face "enemy" ideas. They just prevent them through violence from being heard in the first place.

Read the whole article here.

El Memorial Cubano (Updated with photos)

By Julio C. Zangroniz

An elderly couple I met at the Cuban Memorial site in the middle of this bright Friday morning worked assiduously to decorate one of the 11,000-plus crosses set atop the rough ground at Tamiami Park.

The dignified elder --70 years old, as I would learn later-- initially wanted to set the few strands of flowers on a piece of foam rubber against the base of the cross, but the small square wasn't heavy enough to support the stems and kept on toppling.

Finally, in desperation, the man simply pushed the flowers into the ground. "That will do," he declared. His female comapnion nodded in agreement as she held a small plastic bag and a walking cane.

I approached them and, after I apologized for interrupting their work, asked them if they would be willing to answer a few questions from a curious visiting journalist. Without any hesitation, they both agreed.

They are Roberto Garcia, originally from Isla de Pinos, Cuba, and his wife, Mitza, who was born in Havana but moved to the small island south of the mainland after the two married. They were here today, they explained, to honor the memory of their son Angel Garc'ia Le'on, who was shot to death by a firing squad at Havana's notorious La Caba~na fortress on May 1, 1959, as the label on the cross stated.

Why was your son sent to the pared'on? I asked. Their 18 year old son was in the military --a policeman at the Presidio Modelo at the Isle of Pines, the father said. Did he have a trial? Did he have a lawyer? I inquired. Yes, but all the lawyers were government lawyers, and it was nothing but a charade, Mitza noted. Fue una farsa, she declared.

The couple and two other children, managed to escape from the island in 1971, and now they come to the once-a-year Memorial Cubano at Tamiami Park to honor their son's memory. This will be the fourth time that the impressive display of over 11,000 white crosses, most of which bear the name, place of residence and year of death of someone who died at the hands of the fidel castro regime.

The elderly man, after receiving a helping hand to get up from his kneeling position by his son's cross, noted that he and his wife will not be back on Saturday, the day of the "official" opening of the memorial ceremony.

We are in poor health, he explains, noting that he has had at least two heart attacks recently, while his wife suffers from poor vision. "It was hard enough to locate the right cross today, without huge mobs of people here. That's enough for us," Roberto says, as his dark lenses eerily reflect the sea of white crosses.

In the middle of the display of crosses, a lone oversize cross, about 20 feet high by 10 feet wide, stands as a symbol of those men, women and children who have died at the hands of the castro regime, but whose cases are yet to be properly documented. A large floral display of the Cuban flag leans against the base of the large cross.

Nearby, Francisco Rodr'iguez Mart'inez consents to an interview, though he is evidently quite busy running around with a small crew taking care of a myriad last-minute chores. This event is not the product of any one organization, or one group, or any individual. We don't have any leaders. Anyone can participate. The only thing that we have to offer anyone is the opportunity to work, he says in rapid-fire delivery.

"The volunteers do what they do because they are Cubans... they do it for Cuba... because we feel for what we are doing," he notes.

How many people help this effort? I ask. His face turns somewhat somber and he declares: "I hate to admit it, but it's all done by a very small group. We have 11,200 crosses standing here, and for each one of them we should have at least one volunteer, but that's not the case. We have a group of about 13-15 people, who give their all so this project can be done." And in perfect Spanish, he adds: "Lo sembramos muy pocos, pero lo cosechamos muchos (a few sow the seeds, but many enjoy the harvest)."

Francisco admits that "we end up very tired, very sunburned... but we have the satisfaction of having done our duty. It's sad... and we feel tremendous emotions." The member of the group of volunteers reasons: "This sea of white crosses is but a small part of the tens of thousands of deaths caused by the castro regime. What other country can present such a sea of crosses like this one? Not one, unless they've suffered a war or something like that." But we are here to throw it on the (tyrant's) face, each and every year, "hasta que el manco eche deo," he states using an old Cubanism that means, roughly translated, until the one-armed man grows fingers on his stump.

Francisco concludes: "For me, this celebration is a blood transfusion, something that gives me the strength to make it through another year."

Aileen Goudie, another volunteer who helps visitors pinpoint the exact location of a specific cross, advises anyone in that predicament to visit one of the white tents near the podium on the northern side and ask anyone to look up the name of their relative or friend. They will find it in reference books and direct them to one of the 24 marked sections, each of which includes about 400 crosses.

The Memorial Cubano illustrates the nearly five decades of the castro tyranny, Aileen nearly whispers, from the very first person who died at the hands of a firing squad in 1959 to a six-year-old girl who drowned in the Florida Straits a few months ago, when her family attempted to flee Cuba.

As Aileen chats with this reporter, she is approached by Sonia Boissett, who proceeds to tell her personal tragedy. In 1970, her husband, Felix Angel Ba~nos, then 34 years old, was sent to do compulsory agricultural labor in a place called Vivero Bizarr`on, outside the town of Guines, in Havana Province, because he had requested permission to leave the island.

One day, as the man rested underneath a railroad car, reading the Bible, he was killed when another train was "accidentally" re-routed and crashed onto him. Sonia was pregnant with their first child at the time. The authorities granted her request to leave the island on the very day she was giving birth. They probably figured I wouldn't want to leave, she speculates.

But six days later, I left for Spain, still suffering a lot of pain from the stitches of my operation, carrying that little baby. "Eso nunca se olvida. Fue horrible," she adds (one can never forget something like that. It was horrible).

In Spain, Sonia recalls that "I even had to beg for alms at Madrid's Puerta de Alcala, so my son could have some milk to drink. I am very proud of that." Sonia promises Aileen Goudie to return Saturday with proof of her husband's death, as well as a photograph of him, so both can be affixed to one of the blank crosses waiting for their piece of history. As each case is verified and duly documented, the new names are added to Section 24, on the southernmost section of the park display.

Thus the Memorial Cubano grows, each and every year, each and every day.

Ed: Julio is in town this week and took some great shots at the Memorial today. We'll have them up as soon as possible.

Freedom? There's no freedom in baseball!

At least not in Cuban baseball there isnt.

Jose Contreras' thoughts on the World Baseball Classic and the Cuban National team:

"If Cuba wins, it is expected. If they lose, there will be a lot of explaining because baseball is the top sport and if you don't win, it's a problem," Contreras said. "The pressure is going to be double for Cuba. You have the government watching and you are playing against the best players in the world. This will be the best competition Cuba has ever played against."

"I want Cuba to win [the World Baseball Classic]," Contreras said. "I know some people associate the worst things in the world with Cuba but I support the baseball team, the players and my friends, not the government. I would love to talk to them, but I am not allowed.

"If they see me and talk to me, they will be punished," he continued. "Imagine if I could play with the Cuban team? They don't let me. The government is mad at me and I don't want to be political. I play and they put me together with Fidel as a supporter of the government. I'm Cuban and I love my country and the people, but I can't play with them because of politics."

"The invited are young players who are followers of the revolution and have a clean background. If you have relatives who live in other places in the world, it will be really difficult to be taken out of Cuba on that team," Contreras said. "For example, if you have an uncle who lives in Miami, it's going to be real hard for you to leave the country. They worry that you will stay there."

"I lived 32 years in Cuba, eight years traveling with the team, and I came to the United States five times and I never stayed," Contreras said. "For me Cuba was the best. All I heard before was about the "Imperialist Yankee" and how bad the government is in this country, and you grow up believing Cuba is the best. Fidel is the best. The U.S. is the worst.

"Think of a horse, we in Cuba have blinders on the side of our face and do not see everything on the side. In front of us, we do not see everything because there is another wall in front of us keeping us from seeing it all."

"On the team, there are probably 10 players who work like spies. They see you doing something that is suspicious, and they go tell on you," Contreras said. "Players [from other teams] will talk on the field. I know that, but you can't talk anywhere else. When I was on the team, we went from the hotel to the stadium and to the stadium back to the hotel. People see you talking to people, you will be in trouble. I know some players are going to ask the Cubans to go eat or go get a beer. The Cuban players will be scared. They will run away because of the fear. That's how it is in Cuba."

"I don't criticize the players in Cuba and I don't blame them," Contreras said. "(to defect) is such a personal decision that I don't think anybody knows until you do go through it and walk by our sides.

"Some say they know Cuba or have been to Havana, stayed in the nicest hotels and walked around. That's not Cuba. Walk in our shoes. Eat what we eat and get on those crowded buses and live in the homes like we do. Try to spend money and have people not accept it because you are Cuban. I have more money than I dreamed of, but my family cannot spend it in Cuba. You come as a tourist, yes, they will take your money and show you a good time. You live there and have money, they shut doors on you."

Like I said before, it isnt about baseball if Cuba is involved. It's about politics and propaganda. Allowing the Cuban National team to play on US soil makes us an accomplice to their repression.

You can read the whole article here.

No one gives a shit.

Snap!

So today marks the 10th anniversary of the murder of four Brothers to the Rescue pilots by the Cuban government. Two Russian Migs shot down two twin engine Cessnas ten years ago today.

Ten years ago the world condemned the castro regime for such an egregious and heinous act.

And where are we today?

What has changed?

Not a God damned thing has changed.

fidel castro killed 3 American citizens and one US resident with the entire world as witness and where is his punishment? Where are all the righteous do gooders that scream and holler at the most banal of injustices and at the drop of a hat?

Where the fuck are they? Where is all the screaming and hollering? Where is the fucking outrage?

Ten years later and castro is still the worlds little fucking poster boy. An adulated fucking murderer. Still reigning supreme over millions of people who cant so much as even sneeze without his permission.

We have fucking Congressmen meeting and making deals with the very same man that fucking killed 4 of their country's citizens. Hollywood types practically wiping fidel castro's ass and loving it. Our news media cowed like sheep. World leaders praising the very same man that murdered 4 men without so much as a second thought in plain view of the ENTIRE world.

What the fuck?

WHAT THE FUCK?

HOW CAN THIS FUCKING BE?

Because those 4 men were Cuban, and no one gives a fucking shit.

Angels On Our Shoulders

From February 24, 2005:

I don't recall whether it was a Saturday or a Sunday but I recall noticing it had turned out to be a beautiful South Florida day as we made our way through the tunnels and ramps at the Orange Bowl. The clear sky and light breeze went unnoticed by most as the previous few days in Miami had been ill-weathered and marred by pain and anger and protests and tears and more pain.

I was there with my girlfriend at the time, a Colombian girl who despite having lived her whole life in Miami had never really delved into the Cuban psyche of its diaspora. She was there with me for me. She knew what it meant to me. I had to be there. I had to go regardless of the hurt. She'd seen me crying for days. Seen my father depressed and my mother somber. She'd seen the anger build up in me and turn into a rage, then, as quickly as it had begun, lulled into a whimpering sob.

There were thousands of people there. I remember I had to fight back tears the moment we made it through the ramp and up into the stands. So many people, I thought. So many flags.

There were hundreds and hundreds of Old Glory's waving alongside the red, white and blue of the Cuban flag. The colors of Venezuela waved there, and Colombia. Argentina and Brazil chimed in with the light breeze. Puerto Rico and Nicaragua represented. Dominican flags waved alongside flags from Jamaica and Mexico. It was a sea of solidarity. Symbols of our neighbors offering condolences and support.

On the stage below were red, white and blue wreaths and large photographs. Pictures of four men who had just been murdered. Men whose only crime was wanting freedom for the people of Cuba and who spent their days flying over the Straights of Florida seeking those seeking liberty. Men who saved countless lives. Who spent hours upon hours searching the ocean for the speck of a human trying to survive it.

An old couple came and sat next to us. Someone's grandparents who had braved the parking and the crowd and the stairs and the ramps because they knew they had to be there. This was their fight. Their battleground and they came to make a stand. To be heard. I remember I helped the old woman sit. She held my arm as her years made her legs tremble when she bent to sit.

I dont think I will ever see or remember a more heartfelt "Gracias" as the one she gave me at that moment. She was sad and glad and proud all at the same time. There were alot of years in her eyes. Both her and her husband dressed to the nines, old school, just like my grandparents had always been.

Speeches were made. Roars of "Libertad! Libertad!" resounded through the stadium over and over again. Madeline Albright came up and assured us something would be done. The pressure would be put on the murderer. The world was with us, she said. They didnt seem like empty promises then.

The old folks next to us, their white hair gently dancing to the breeze never wept. They consoled my tears instead. The woman held my hand, softly ran her thumb across its back. No llores, mijo, she said. Dont cry. As if to say they had already run out of tears. Understood already what was incomprehensible to me.

We have been here before, the old man told me. We saw Kennedy here. We shed our tears then.

A moment of silence was announced, the din of the crowd slowly wanned. I helped the old woman up from her chair. My girlfriend held one hand, the old woman, this new Abuela of mine, held the other. I could hear her whispered prayers amid the sound of flags in the wind.

A faint sound approached from the South. It grew louder and louder. The crowd slowly began looking toward the sky. And then, during this moment of silence, four twin engine Brothers to the Rescue Cessnas appeared. The Missing Man Formation flew directly above us in honor of their fallen brothers.

My new grandmother looked up and squeezed my hand, then began to cry.

Today marks the memorial of the murder of three American citizens and one US legal resident by fidel castro. On February 24, 1996, Cuban Migs shot down 2 Brothers to the Rescue planes over international waters at the order of fidel castro.

Rest in peace, Hermanos.

More:

- Gall and Wormwood
- 26th Parallel
- Blog for Cuba
- Ya No Mas!
- Killcastro
- Ventanita
- El Confeti
- The Real Cuba
- Paxety
- Uncommon Sense
- El Cafe Cubano
- Baracutey Cubano

And dont forget to visit the Shootdown page.

Realpolitik madness

I gladly voted for George W. Bush in 2000 and in 2004.

After my protest vote against his Dad (for breaking his promise not to raise taxes) for he-that-shall-remain-nameless in 1992, and my subsequent switch from the Republican party to the Libertarian Party in 1993, and my wasted vote for Harry Browne in 1996, and my switch back to the Republicans after September 11, I have learned the hard way that idealism in the face of the reality of the world is not only stupid, but dangerous. I’ll admit that it stings to say that about myself, but at least I’ve learned from my mistakes.

Since the election of 2000 I have supported President Bush in most of his foreign policy initiatives. After 9/11 I supported his “war on terror” -- although I stick to my belief that we have been in a 1,400 year religio-cultural war with Islam that has had peaks and valleys. Islam, radical or otherwise, will not stop until the infidel (that be us) is dead or converted, and sharia law established. It’s that simple. If there are moderate, peace-loving followers of this religion then their voices have to be raised above the others so that all of us can stop the killing and live in peace and in respect of each other’s beliefs, without the fear of beheadings, C4 belts, IEDs, 757s made into missiles, or of a nuke brought in by container ship.

I am not a blind follower of Dubya, despite the skewed, unthinking, knee-jerk reaction world-view of my liberal Kool-Aid drinking friends. I sincerely believe that he is a good man and a decent man. I believe that he is truly dedicated to doing what he believes is best for this country. Nevertheless, I have disagreed strongly with many a foreign policy and domestic decision his Administration has made since he was inaugurated in 2001. Let me name a few off the top of my head:

• Inaction on Cuba and keeping wet-foot/dry-foot alive;
• Immigration control (or the lack thereof) on our southern border;
• The kowtowing to the murderers in the Palestinian authority over the needs of Israel;
• The prosecution of the war in Iraq that, as a student of history, I know was too weak in its focus for fear of offending the powers in the Middle East;
• Inaction over Iran and Syria, two countries that have been a terrible threat to the West for a very long time;
• The expansion of entitlement programs that need to be cut, not increased, especially Medicare and in the Department of Education;
• No reform of Social Security;
• No action on REAL tax reform, in other words the elimination of the regressive income tax replaced by a flat national sales tax.

These are core conservative positions that I deeply hold that have been swept aside because of Dubya’s "new tone" with the Democrats -- an abysmal failure in my view, not because of him, mind you, but because the Dems are incapable of acting decently in the face of decency.

So, you may ask, why do I still support him if I disagree with him so much? Well, the alternative is far, far worse than any of us can begin to imagine.

Last week I was shocked when I heard and read in the news that a Dubai company (Dubai Ports World) had purchased the British management company that runs the ports in various cities, including right here in Miami. The more I read, the angrier I got. This deal, if approved, could result in one of the most amazing foreign-policy blunders of the last hundred years. And my opinions are torn, by the way, between my libertarian free-trader side of the brain and my conservative wage-war-until-victory side of the brain. I was angry when that dolt Jimmy Carter turned over our Panama Canal in 1978. I thought then and I think today that it was a huge error to divest our country of that waterway. Jimmah, being the hidden red that he is, knew precisely what he was doing. Today, not surprisingly, the Panama Canal is controlled on both sides by Chinese companies that are in turn controlled by the communist Chinese government. Paranoia pays off.

The why of this deal is not a mystery to me. It has realpolitik writ large all over it. The Middle East is a prime supplier of the engine of Capitalism: petroleum. I am not one of those granola-eaters that rend their robes when they hear that we fight wars for natural resources. “No blood for oil!” these people scream, as they listen to their iPod, made of materials that use the very substance they despise. Idiots. Man has fought wars over resources since war became the ultimate political chess move. Anybody who thinks otherwise is a deluded fool -- or a John Kerry voter.

All of the pundits that support the ports deal are trotting out the canards of racism, islamophobia, that it is wrong to deny the Dubai company its due, since it was controlled by a foreign entity before anyway. Fine. They have a point. But here is the danger: While Dubai has been a staunch ally and has supported the US in the past, what’s to say that radical elements, like those that crop up in any Muslim country -- remember Osama in Saudi Arabia and Al-Zawahiri in Egypt? -- will not crop up in Dubai or in one of the other Emirates and cause to infiltrate our ports with folks who would be willing to detonate a thermonuclear device inside a container ship in the port of Miami, or Baltimore, or Philadelphia, or New York, and go to paradise? This is not far-fetched.

Friends, Mao Zedong’s quip about selling us the rope he would hang us with may come true if we continue on this path. I am against this deal and I feel strongly that it is folly -- dangerous folly -- to allow it. That is, in the end, how this deal may be remembered if approved.

The United States and the West is waging war against an ideology that has persisted for fourteen centuries in the belief that unbelievers must be converted or killed. We, a country that was created when the Enlightenment in Europe was still fresh in the air, have no such persistent beliefs, except that we are created equal, endowed by our Creator with certain inalienable rights, and that we are entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

A Desperate Journey

The Historical Museum of Southern Florida unveils a new exhibition tonight by Miami Herald photographer Al Diaz titled "Balseros - A Desperate Journey."

The exhibit is a collection of photographs taken by Diaz during his tenure as a Herald photographer since 1983. Tonight is the opening gala by reservation, but the exhibit runs from tomorrow until June 4th.

I have seen some of these shots by Diaz and can tell you they are heartbreaking and well worth a trip to downtown Miami to take in.

The Insect

Scott has a great quote from a good artcile by indian blogger Dilip D'Souza, which I will shamelessly lift and post here:

But while Jose Marti has left his mark on Michael, another Cuban hero has not. Curiously, through that entire Santiago evening, Michael did not once use his name. "The insect", he said, "the one who sucks our blood. You know?" We didn't, so Michael glanced over his shoulder and did a quick gesture with his hand, tracing a beard around his face.

Read the whole piece here.

La Revolucion in all its visual splendor

El Malecon shown with all its revolutionary progress.

Point your cursor over the picture to speed up and slow down the loop. The further left - appropriately - the slower.

Still Googling?

I swore off Google for good the other day when they appeased the Chinese government and began censoring information available to the Chinese people. Now, I always had my doubts about Google. I have numerous Google searches set up specifically about Cuba and consistently the top search items are always from Ahora.cu or Periodico26 or other Cuban propaganda sites.

Of course! Some will say. Those web portals are always reporting about Cuba. Well, yes. But take the Miami Herald, for example. It publishes stories about Cuba daily and rarely, if ever, are links to those articles in the first and second pages of the Google search. I find it hard to believe that the only news sources in the world that report on Cuba are sites like Granma and Workers World and Vietnam News Agency and the like. Sites that are for the most part propaganda portals.

But it gets worse.

Our friend Aleksander Boyd of Vcisis had his share of listings in Google for his excellent and honest reportage of Venezuelan news and events. I say "had" because they no longer show up on Google searches. They have been systematically removed by the Goliath search engine. And Alek has the evidence to prove it here.

So, if you are still using Google as your news search engine and think you are getting an honest listing of news in an unbiased and professional manner, think again.

"Don't be evil" is Google's corporate motto. Perhaps what they mean by evil is anything having to do with truth.

The Bahamas: Scared of fidel castro

El Confeti brings us a story of two Cuban dentists currently being held in the Bahamas who are in a diplomatic limbo. The dentist's US visas had expired when they reached the Bahamas and fidel castro now wants them back.

So what does fidel castro do? He uses his number one tactical weapon: the oppressed masses of his island and threatens to unleash a mass exodus to the Bahamas:

There are unconfirmed reports that the Bahamas government has been warned that if its sends the two Cuban dentists, now being held at the Carmichael Road Detention Centre, to the US, Cuba will, in retaliation, inundate the Bahamas with hundreds of Cuban immigrants.

You have to admit, the Bahamian government is caught between a rock and a hard place. On the one hand, they are being threatened by fidel castro to turn over two cubans or face an influx of people into an already struggling economy and on the other a Cuba without a fidel castro with a free market and the open tourism that brings would pretty much be a major detriment to Bahamian economy.

I wonder what side of the ideological line the Bahamas will ultimately land on.

Finally

The Ladies in White finally oficially receive their Sakharov prize recognition, but dont look for this item in the Mainstream Media.

Via Cubanet:

Ladies in White receive Sakharov Peace Prize seals

HAVANA, February 22 (Shelyn Rojas / www.cubanet.org) - Members of the dissident Ladies in White, who protest the imprisonment of husbands and other relatives, received Sakharov peace prize seals last weekend.

The Ladies in White were co-winners of the 2005 peace prize awarded by the European parliament, but were unable to attend as the Cuban government refused to give them exit visas.

After attending mass on Saturday at the Cathedral, the ladies went to the home of Laura Pollán, wife of imprisoned journalist Héctor Maseda Gutiérrez, where the seals were distributed.

There was also a literary tea in honor of a book written by Cuban-American singer Gloria Estefan, which was dedicated to the ladies.

New tales of castrocare

30,000 Cuban "doctors" in Venezuela -- all of whom displace Venezuela's real doctors and their funding -- and El Universal has this striking new development as its result:

46 newborns die in two months in eastern Venezuela

At least 46 newborns have died in Santos Aníbal Dominicci Hospital, in Carúpano, eastern Sucre state, according to doctors, but healthcare authorities have denied their claims and ensured that only 24 newborns have died, a figure that matches the domestic median for deaths of children under one year of age.

At the end of January, press reports put the number of newborns dead in the mentioned hospital at 24. In December 2005, the figure was 16, and so far this month six newborns have died.

Doctors at Santos Aníbal Dominicci Hospital prepared a report showing that the causes of death included sepsis, respiratory distress, and hyaline membrane syndrome. They claimed that problems emerged when remodeling works started at the delivery room, including repairs of leakage in water pipelines.

While repairs works are under way, deliveries are attended at a provisional room that has been contaminated with enterobacteria.

***

So, the more castroite doctors, the more infant deaths in Venezuela. Daniel has a chart showing how many castroite doctors there are in each state and this Sucre state, which is full of Chavista voters, has 90 doctors per 1,000 voters.

And twice the baby fatality rate of the Venezuelan national average!

The El Universal report says that the hospital was in a state of decay with ruined pipes forcing delivery rooms to move to filthy places. A Venezuelan intern took these pictures of the shambles that passes for a chavista hospital here. How'd you like to have your baby there!

Hat tip: Venezuela Today.

The Foreign Brigades

One of the most ridiculous aspects of fidel castro's revolution has always been the Foreign Brigades that have travelled to Cuba throughout the years. Groups and organizations hosted by fidel castro that go to Cuba to work in the fields. Cutting sugar cane, reaping tabaco, etc...

I hadn't heard of any lately, but it seems these Foreign Brigades are alive and well:

Almost half a century after the Cuban Revolution, activists from around the world continue to flood in the “red island” to support the revolution of Castro, Guevara and his comrades offering volunteer work.

They make up the so-called “Brigades”, the missions of volunteers comprising of young men and women who believe in building the “socialist Cuba” as envisioned by its leader Fidel Castro. The volunteer missions work both in Havana and rural areas in Cuba helping mainly with sugarcane harvest. The activists also work as field hands, help in painting schools or in the restoration of student dorms etc. They maintain that through this contribution they come closer to the people of Cuba sharing with them their experiences and becoming familiar with their customs and traditions.

Brigades come to Cuba from many countries and Greece is one of them. In May and July young people from Greece will participate in two European missions and are scheduled to stay and work in special campsites in Cuba for three weeks. They will also have the opportunity to attend political debates, come into contact with movements and organizations, and participate in cultural activities and social work.

Cuba supports the work of the brigades, told to ANA-MPA Cuban ambassador to Athens Hermes Herrera who pointed out that the Cuban Institute of Friendship Among the Peoples (Instituto Cubano de Amistad con des Pueblos) coordinates activities at global level while the Greek-Cuban Associations in Thessaloniki and Athens are responsible for the volunteer work coming from Greece. The brigades have an open agenda. Their content is political, cultural, ecological and will always be characterized by volunteer work in different fields, he stressed.

Asked to comment on the likelihood of a visit by Cuban President Fidel Castro to Greece, after the invitation extended to him to visit the monastic community of Mount Athos, Mr. Herrera responded that it is hard to say because he does not travel often. He said that he can confirm that the Cuban President has been invited and that he would like to come close to the Greek reality.

Which just goes to prove that the old addage is true: There really is a sucker born every minute.

Hello Venezuelans!!!

Welcome to Cuba.

Via Scott.

Flagler's Bridge (Updated)

There is a street here in Miami that bisects the city from one end to the other. It was Miami's first Main street and is named, appropriately so, after Henry Flagler who is known as the real founder of the City of Miami. It was also Mr. Flagler who spent an unprecedented millions of dollars at the turn of the century to connect mainland South Florida to the group of islands known as the Keys with a railroad. Years of planning went into it, thousands of men toiled and many adversities were lived through to make Flagler's bridge dream come true.

In 1935, years after Henry Flagler's death and after millions of passengers had traveled between Miami and the lower keys via Flagler's railroad bridge system, major parts of the bridge were destroyed by a hurricane. After much consideration, Henry Flagler's railroad bridge was rebuilt by the government as a thoroughfare for vehicles. No train would ever make the 156 mile trip again.

Henry Flagler's seven mile bridge, a major part of original bridge system, reconstructed and used for decades as the primary and only land route between Florida's mainland and the Keys, now sits abandoned a mere 100 parallel yards or so from a newly built more modern thoroughfare.

It was Henry Flagler's Bridge that 15 Cuban refugees landed on after days at sea back in January. It was Henry's Flagler's bridge that the US Coast Guard deemed was not officially US land and consequently repatriated the refugees back to the island prison. Henry Flagler's Bridge. The same bridge built with American money and American muscle and American sweat and, even, with a cost of American lives. Henry Flagler's Bridge. By all accounts, a historical landmark. A triumph of the American entrepeneurial spirit, a testament to American know how, a product of the American work ethic.

Yet according to our government, it is not a part of America.

Last night, Hannity and Colmes highlighted the inhumane treatment of 15 souls fleeing tyranny and oppression. Family members of the 15 refugees were taken via boat to Henry Flagler's Bridge to the exact same spot where freedom became fleeting. Where the hope of 15 men and women and children was usurped over semantics.

My wife and I, our fiend Maribel and Julio Zangroniz sat in front of our living room tv last night completely transfixed. Awed almost, that a member of the MSM had finally done something to bring to light the inane absurdity of the wet-foot/dry-foot policy. Tears flowed as they most certainly will flow as you take in the following video reports from Hannity & Colmes via Fox News:

Watch the video of two Cuban family members here.

Watch the video of the attorney working to overturn the government;s ruling on the 15 here.

Watch an interview with Alina Fernandez, daughter of fidel castro here.

I truly hope this is the beginning of real coverage of one of the most un-American and inhumane policies to ever be implemented by a US government.

UPDATE: I have watched that first video a bunch of times today. When Guerrero speaks at the end and says that Cubans will keep trying to flee and then says "Some of us make it. Some of us never make. Some of us are never found." He actually pauses for a second and you can literally see the reality and the pain that he lives with daily just consume him. He then breaks down on camera, taking me along with him every time.

It is impossible to string words together to describe exactly what Guerrero is feeling at that precise moment in time. Those of you that have been separated from your families, those of you that have lost family fleeing the island, you know exactly what that feeling is.

Also: If you'd like to know more about the railroad that acccording to the US government is no longer part of the United States, I recommend "Last Train to Paradise - Henry Flagler and the Spectacular Rise and Fall of the Railroad that Crossed an Ocean" by Les Standiford - acclaimed author and my former creative writing profesor at Florida International University.

Censorship?

fidel castro wrote the book on on how to keep a people oppressed.

Rule number one: control everything they are exposed to, specifically information.

Via Cubanet:

Foreign publications added banned list

HAVANA, February 21 (Leonel Pérez Belette / www.cubanet.org) - The government has added to its list of banned publications the daily newspaper El País of Madrid and the Spanish-language edition of Popular Mechanic, according to an employee of WSP, the company that distributes foreign publications in Cuba.

The employee said that the government took the decision because the publications were considered to have an "ideological" content. "From now on," he said, "these publications will only be available in Cuba by subscription."

Such subscriptions are limited to foreign residents and diplomats.

Previously, El País and Popular Mechanic could be purchased at hard-currency stores. Among other publications no longer available were Spanish publications Hola! and Muy Interesante.

Rule number two: control who your people are exposed to.

Via The Real Cuba, from the Committe to Protect Jounalists:

CUBA: Argentine writer blocked at Havana airport

New York, February 21, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns Saturday's deportation of writer, columnist and historian José Ignacio García Hamilton by Cuban authorities at Havana's José Martí International Airport.

Immigration authorities barred the Argentine writer from entering Cuba, saying that they were following government orders but could not provide further explanation, the Argentine press reported. García Hamilton and his wife held tourist visas approved on Thursday by the Cuban Embassy in Buenos Aires.

According to Argentine press reports, a Cuban immigration officer told García Hamilton that only the writer's wife would be allowed into the country. García Hamilton and his wife were escorted back to their plane, which was routed to Panama.

García Hamilton told the press that he had planned a one-week vacation on the island. He said he also scheduled meetings with Cuban intellectuals and several gatherings to publicize his new book, Simón. Vida de Bolívar, a biography of Simón Bolívar. García Hamilton is a contributor to newspapers and magazines in Argentina, Uruguay, and the United States.

García Hamilton met with dissidents in visits to Cuba in 1996 and 2005, according to press reports. A 1997 book by García Hamilton analyzed authoritarian governments in Latin America and included a preface by Carlos Montaner, an opponent of the Castro regime, the Argentine press reported. In an interview with an Argentine radio station today, he said he believed the deportation may be related to the book and its preface.

Argentina's Embassy in Cuba sent the Cuban government a letter on Saturday asking for an explanation. That was followed on Monday by an official request for information from Argentina's Foreign Ministry.

"The Cuban government's actions make clear that it is continuing a longstanding pattern of retaliating against writers who offer critical viewpoints," CPJ Executive Director Ann Cooper said.

RIGHT NOW

Hannity and Colmes. Fox News. Debate on the 15 Cuban refugees who made it to the bridge.

Ok, who was it?

I get home from work just now and find a small package on my doorstep. I pick it up and it feels like a tshirt or something.

Imagine my surprise when I open the thing up and inside is a Miami Dolphin fan's ultimate gift:

A Dan Marino no. 13 Authentic throwback jersey.

Damn thing brought tears to my eyes.

Problem is, I dont know who to thank. The shipping label had no information on it.

So, whoever it was, you completely and totally RAWK.

I hope you are all STILL sitting down....

After seeing Val's endorsement of Carl McGill I decided to visit Mr. McGill's website, where I found an email, and well sent him a note asking him for further detail on his stand on Cuba and Fidel Castro.

I hope you are all still sitting down (grab your bells and whistles) because here is his response, undedited:

Good Day Sirs and Madams,

I am very concern about a dictator so close to our borders. And I'm concerned for four reasons. These reasons refer to human rights and homeland security.

First, I am of black American and Caribbean descent. In both the US and the island countries, the essence of my existence was the violation of human rights, and that refers to slavery and colonialism. In the dark periods of this hemisphere's historical past existed conditions that many Cubans go through everyday, and that's life under a dictator. So, think God America and its most of its Caribbean sisters have evolved in human rights.

Second, as we celebrate Black History Month, the Congressional Black Caucus represents the opposite of what black Americans should symbolize, and that's freedom. Maxine Waters and the CBC support Fidel Castro. As politicians, they should wonder why there is little to no representation of Cuba's current population in government. Demographically, current Cuba is mostly people of color. Is that reflected in the government? No! But go to Castro’s jails and one could easily see differently.

Third, on their VIP trips to Cuba, why don't Waters and others question human rights violations unless they support it? I think it's because they represent their districts similar to how Castro runs Cuba. Socialism does not work. Only free societies prosper. So as a member of the US Congress, I would vote to enforce the embargo on Castro until Cuba changes it governmental leadership. We don't need an island prison existing in a democratic hemisphere. And representatives of a free that represent free people should not use their elected office to support Cuba's dictator. And I think black Americans, once educated truthfully about Castro's island prison, would be appalled at the black caucus' friendship with Castro. Didn't we free Cuba from Spain because of how the Cubans were mistreated? Therefore, I believe American needs to free Cuba from Fidel Castro, and I would stand with the Honorable Lincoln Diaz-Balart and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen in the US Congress on this issue.

Finally, as Al Qaeda is America's enemy in the war on terrorism, so is Castro. We haven't determined if Castro has Al Qaeda ties. So he is not exonerated from the possibility of launching the next 911. Therefore, we must remember the "Missiles of October," for Al Qaeda has replaced the Russians as are enemy in the fight for freedom, and the friend of our enemy is our enemy.

Sincerely,

Carl McGill
Candidate for Congress 2006

Mr. Carl McGill certainly has my endorsement!

Getting older?

Nah. Just better.

Good friend Aelfheld's Gall and Wormwood turns one today. Do drop by and extend your Felicidades!

Also, go here and check out how you can help keep the Flight 93 Memorial a tribute to the flight's heroes as opposed to its terrorist hijackers.

I hope you're all sitting down...

...because Im about to endorse a Democrat...

Via email:

I am California congresswoman Maxine Waters' challenger for the 35th California Congressional District for the 2006 election year. Waters has used her 15 years in the US Congress as a friend of Fidel Castro. Let's remove Waters from office in 2006, so you and I could oppose Castro together. Please visit www.carlmcgill.com.

Thank you,

Carl McGill for Congress
35th California Congressional District

Visit his website here and make sure you check out the Cuba link.

Im sure you all remember Maxine "Elain Gonzalez belongs with his father" Waters, dont you?

Here are some other items of interest regarding good ole Maxine and here's a letter stating she supports murderer Asata Shakur who is hiding out in Cuba.

Oh, and did I mention Maxine is a member of the Progressive Caucus, the one started by the one time leader of the Democratic Socialists of America?

Chicken? What Chicken?

Via Cubanet:

Thieves steal 140 pounds of freshly delivered chicken

HAVANA, February 20 (Amarilis C. Rey, Cuba Verdad / www.cubanet.org) - Less than 24 hours after a butcher shop in Havana's Arroyo Naranjo district had received 140 pounds of chicken, someone broke into the freezer and stole the entire shipment.

The butcher at the state-run shop was briefly held because he had violated a norm of the Interior Commerce Ministry under which an employee must be on the premises at all times after a shipment of merchandise or food has been received.

Neighbors said the thieves broke the store grill and, as in past instances, stole all the boxes of new food in the freezer.

Odd isnt it? How in the land of plenty where the government takes such great care of its people, some would resort to stealing chickens.

Anyone care to guess where those chickens probably came from?

No me molestes, niña...

Por que me saco una pestaña y te inco te inco te inco.

Roughly translated:

Dont bother me girl. Becuase I'll pull out an eyelash and poke you poke you poke you.

Of course, the whole joke works better with a bit of a lisp, but you get the picture.

From the mailbag:

Sin comentario:

just talked to my family in Cuba...... rice cookers $127 pesos cubanos Hornillas electricas $100 de una sola ornilla por familia.. Ollas Reinas 350 pesos una por familia Olla de presion 145 pesos Calentador de agua 20 pesos Con el salario tipico de un cubano de 150 a 200 pesos al mes...le ronca los cojones.....en mi casa en cuba tenian una cocina de 2 ornillas que se puede cocinar dos cosas a la misma vez y ahora les han quitado el gas que venia en tubos (balones) van a quitarles a todos los refrigeradores viejos americanos y sustituirlos por nuevos (que son una mierda) pequeños y les van a cobrar de 650 pesos para arriba..........imaginate....... endeudados al estado por vida!!!!!! Gas para catastrofes solamente si hay un ciclon Leche desaparecida de cualquier modo, ni de polvo, ni condensada y mucho menos de vaca.... Las cocinas tipicas cubanas tienen una toma de corriente, imaginate tratar de cocinar en una ornilla, despues prender para hacer el arroz y despues utilizar la otra...estan ya locos y no saben que hacer...todos se sienten que la vida se les esta saliendo y el desespero a un nivel nunca visto...

For you, Mr. fidelista Realtor

Went to a wedding on Saturday. A very good friend of mine found the girl of his dreams and decided to tie the knot. It was a small wedding, a tasteful and happy affair for everyone. The wife and I had a great time for the most part.

I say for the most part because this guy happened to be there. The guy that called my wife an imperialist worm.

The Mrs was a bit apprehensive about telling me that guy was there. She was worried that I would do something passionate and stupid and tarnish my buddy's wedding. (Incidently, the idiot wasnt invited, he came as a date for some other person.)

I cant recall a time where I have wanted to beat the living shit out of someone as much as I did on Saturday. It took every ounce of determination and patience and discipline for me not to walk up to the guy, tell him my name, tell him that I am the husband of the Imperialist Worm and then crack his face open with my fist. In my mind, during the wedding reception, I beat the shit out of him numerous times. Threw his ass in the pool a bunch of times and even, once, tossed him over the balcony of the hotel terrace to a watery death in Biscayne Bay stories below.

Out of respect and love for my buddy and his new bride, I held the anger back that encompassed every fiber of my being.

He knew who I was, too. And I'm sure he could tell my disdain. I am absolutely sure he felt it. I could not acknowledge his presence because the consequences of that would have been severe. I turned my back on him and his date as they walked by greeting everyone else. To have spoken even a word to that guy would have meant me ruining my friends wedding, a trip to the hospital for him and a night in jail for me.

On saturday, February 18th, Mr. "I love fidel castro while living in la Yuma selling high end real estate like a fucking hypocrite communist son of a bitch" was born. His new birthday.

Naciste el sabado, mariconson. Dale gracias a Dios que soy mas hombre que tu. Y ruegale que mas nunca te encruentres en mi presencia.

Ho hum...

It seems that while I was away from the blog this weekend there was yet another influx of anonymous comments where the message of this blog, myself and other readers were criticized, among other things for speaking the basic truth about Cuba.

"Statistics" were put up, outlandish theories, erroneous arguments...the whole works. All of these, once again, with the cover of anonymity and all of them - every single one - coming from the same two IP addresses and using different names. Apparently, these folks are like Rapid Response Brigades, at the ready to obscure the truth using innuendo, finger pointing and smoke and mirrors statistics. Of course, hooding themselves like terrorists with anonimity. Like cowards.

I'm not worrying much about them though. The simple truth is the simple truth, and anyone interested in the truth knows perfectly well what the truth is.

Unfortunately, my friends who were to help get the comment registration up this weekend were unable to get to it. Hopefully, they'll be able to lend a hand sometime this week. So bear with me folks and do please do your best to be like Teflon and let the comments of those interested in nothing but maintaining fidel castro's grip on the dignity of the Cuban people just slide right off.

Todo se paga en la vida, and one day they'll have to pay the maker.