ABC News publishes communist "journalist"

Abajo Fidel sent me this link to a story about ABC News Anchor Bob Woodruff's trip to Cuba and the first thing I noticed was the name of the article's author, Marc Frank.

Marc FREAKING Franc!

For the uninitiated Marc Franc is (or was) a Reuters reporter that several news blogs outed as having written more than 1000 for the People's Daily World. Never heard of it? Well that's probably because you aren't a communist! That's right, the People's Daily World is the official newspaper of the Communist Party USA.

This is the guy that ABC news is trying to sell as an unbiased reporter? Oh my God. Next they'll hire OJ Simpson to cover the fairness of murder trials.

Tell them that this unacceptable.

BUCL Sponsor Profile

Below is the profile of another BUCL sponsor. Details of what the campaign will entail are available to potential campaign sponsors in the form of the full campaign proposal which you can receive by emailing me and telling me which blog or web site you represent.

One benefit of BUCL already is that I'm learning about great blogs I didn't know existed. Jorge Luis, the blogger behind jluix.com (pronounced jay-looh-iks) has an interesting variety of interests that range from Cuba, of course, to the art of computer programming (jluix derives from his name, and his two favorite technologies, Java and UNIX) to Music to food and wine.

Here's a fantastic post he made back in August of last year:

Prayer for Castro

When, years ago, I first read these lines in Richard III, Castro immediately came to mind. May the day they’re finally realized arrive soon, if it hasn’t already.

At hand, at hand,
Ensues his piteous and unpitied end:
Earth gapes, hell burns, fiends roar, saints pray.
To have him suddenly convey’d away.
Cancel his bond of life, dear God, I pray,
That I may live to say, The dog is dead!

Cuentos Chinos

Who to believe?

In this article published in several international outlets Cuban Economy Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez says:

“Those who speculated there would be a collapse or dramatic change or the search for a model that is not our own, have seen that this has not been the case and fortunately the economy is still moving along,” Rodriguez said.

That despite the fact that interim leader Raul Castro, 75, is said to be practical-minded and interested in the Asian economies.

“The Chinese model is very different for a number of reasons. China has great potential on many fronts that Cuba does not have,” Rodriguez said mentioning differences in population and rural development.

And in this story from Russia we learn that perhaps Rodriguez is out of step with his master:

Cuban leader Fidel Castro praised Chinese “market socialism” in a letter to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, Chavez stated while speaking at the Bolivarian Alternative (Spanish abbreviation ALBA) summit on Sunday. Castro analyzed China's successes in his ten-page letter and predicted that it would become one of the superpowers of the 21st century.

Chavez said that Castro referred to the writings of Mao Zedung and the memoirs of Ernesto Che Guevara in his letter.

Lies, damned lies, and Cuban statistics

Remember this godawful AP story?

In the spirit of Anita Snow, this AP story spoke of Cuba's sunshiny climate, easy carefree lifestyle, and most importantly, castro's 'free' health care - as reasons for Cubans' famed longevity.

In reality, Cuba has skewed life expectancy statistics which reflect a rapidly aging population and a terrifying death spiral originating in the high abortion rate. That's keeping new people from replacing the old - and the new are fleeing. What's worse, the Cuban life expectancy has actually declined on the year, according to the CIA factbook, something the AP forgot to note in its chirpy castro-touting story. Unlike AP, bona fide demographers knew right away what the problem was, because they've been studying this issue for years.

Investor's Business Daily has an editorial about it all here:

Cuba's Long Lie Expectancy

Media: Communist regimes are known to falsify and distort statistics, but they rarely get away with it unless Western media play along. They scored a big hit recently with data about Cuba's storied life expectancy.

In a widely distributed news story, the Associated Press last week explained why Cubans were living such long, healthy lives under their 47-year totalitarian dictatorship. Taking the word of Cuban officials, it credited the island's "mild climate," "free medical care" and "low-stress Caribbean lifestyle." Right on cue, CBS gave "thanks to the socialist island state's free health-care system" that's there so "fortunately."

But media claims that socialism lets Cubans live longer makes no sense. Cuba's living conditions portend anything but a long life. The media reports, moreover, often misinterpret the data. "The average Joe reading these stories doesn't have all the background, and can be fooled by propaganda," says Cuban author Humberto Fontova.

Read the rest here:

Hat tip: The Real Cuba

From Nordlinger at NRO (Czechs & Cubans)

Jay Nordlinger from NRO writes today about two peoples who know the truth about Communism:

Finally, a word about Czechs and Cubans. I have written about the relationship between them for many years. (For example, see this piece, “Solidarity, Exemplified,” published in a 2005 NR. Sub. req.) Czechs understand Cubans, being a formerly unfree people. Cubans are currently unfree — and Czechs, amazingly, care. This makes them stand out among democratic nations.

Why am I sounding this theme again? Because of this recent news item:

Prague was probably the last place on the minds of three Cuban families when they set out from their island home on a rickety boat in 2005.

But, late last month, Prague is where they ended their year-and-a-half-long ordeal in search of a new life. They are the first Cubans ever to be granted asylum in the Czech Republic, a move that further solidifies the Czech Republic’s harshly critical stance toward Fidel Castro’s communist regime.

The families’ journey started with a treacherous boat trip across the Straits of Florida, where they were intercepted by the U.S. Coast Guard. Then back to Cuba to a U.S.-operated facility at Guantanamo Bay, where they waited for a country — any country — to accept their plea for asylum.

After more than a year, that answer finally came from halfway around the world, in Central Europe. On March 20, the 10 men, women and children boarded a plane and flew to their new homes in Prague.

The families are eager to build a new home here, said Interior Ministry spokesman Petr Vorlíček. “They are cheerful and optimistic. In the short term, learning Czech is a main priority,” he said. “In the long run, they would like to find jobs and the children want to get an education.”

Personal details are tightly under wraps, because the families fear reprisals against friends and relatives back in Cuba. They declined to be interviewed or photographed. What is known is that two of the families have children under 18, and one family has an infant son.

“All three families decided to leave Cuba because of persecution due to their political or religious beliefs,” Vorlíček said. For some, this had been their fourth attempt to flee. Because of their parents’ involvement in dissidence, the children were bullied and prevented from going to school in Cuba, he said.

Etc. This looks like a rare Cuban story with a happy ending.

Why I may not be posting much this week.

It's not just that I have a ton of stuff to do for the Convention and the El Exilio project. It's that the more I read what's out there, in both posts and commentary, the more I want to go into and expletive laced tirade with a prolific use of the "f" word in caps and bolded.

I really really wanna send some people to hell today.

So you wanna vacation Cuba, eh?

Are you sure?

I hear it aint all that's it's cracked up to be.

Especially the tourist food.

Bloggers United Update

Several developments to inform you all about regarding Bloggers United for Cuban Liberty. First of all, I can tell you that the campaign will kickoff on, or around, May 20th, Cuban Independence Day. Details of what the campaign will entail are available to potential campaign sponsors in the form of the full campaign proposal which you can receive by emailing me and telling me which blog or web site you represent. For the rest of you, be patient. This will be a slow reveal over the next couple of weeks but hopefully very worth it.

Additionally, I am proud to highlight our first two sponsors for the Campaign. First of all is our very own Ziva, who as you should know is also the person behind Blog for Cuba.

It's no secret that Ziva is probably the most passionate of all of us Babalusians. I was not surprised when she was the first to sign up. Blog for Cuba's archives go back to October 2005 but she was an active commentator here at Babalu long before that. Some of you may not know this but Ziva isn't Cuban (though we have naturalized her for sure!) but she dreams in color about Cuba.

...With still closed eyes, I stretch, and feel the soft breeze coming through the open window. My senses fill with the familiar sound and smell of the nearby ocean, and I think about how privileged I am to inhabit this place that I love so much. I slowly open my eyes and stare at the light and shadows playing on the blue walls. The bedroom is small, cozy and contains my essential possessions: family photos, a couple of paintings, a number of favorite books, and a stack of CD's. I love my home, this wonderful apartment. I get up, walk over to the window and spend a few long minutes watching waves crashing against the Malécon. Turning away from the window I start in the direction of the kitchen and a café con leche when something jars my senses.

I shake myself awake; the blue walled bedroom, in the home so familiar, in the place so loved is in Havana, in Cuba--a place I've never been.

Right behind Ziva in jumping on the BUCL bandwagon is another "naturalized Cuban", Claudia Fanelli of Claudia4Libertad.

What can I say about Claudia? The first time this Pennsylvania Spanish teacher appeared on many of our radars was as the author of the impassioned essay she penned called "Cuba: Why I care." That essay was so powerful that it was widely circulated among the exile community via email, I can't count the times I've received it from people who know I write about Cuba and that wanted to share it with me. I even heard it recited on Radio Mambi be Ninoska Perez Castellon.

...The problem is that now I am emotionally invested in this issue: I am disgusted, infuriated and heartsick about what I know takes place on the island. This makes remaining calm in the face of people who think communism is a good system or that fidel Castro is “misunderstood.” But perhaps the most frustrating conversations take place with those who are apathetic. “They’re not our people,” I have been told. “Not “our” people?” I ask. “Were the Ethiopians “our” people? Americans recorded music and sponsored Live Aid to help the poor and oppressed there. Were the Bosnians “our” people? Americans went to fight ethnic cleansing for them and there was nary a protest that they weren’t “our” people. Were the victims of the tsunami in Thailand “our” people? Americans donated money from their own pockets to help them. Since when do others have to be “our” people for us to care about humanity?

...These [Cubans] were the regular people, desperate to escape death squads, ration cards, denial of freedom of speech and a ban on religion. These were the people who, when faced with the idea of “socialismo o muerte,” chose death. Death by drowning, death by sharks, death by dehydration… Yep, Cuba must be a real paradise if these choices trumped life on the island. And why should I care? I think the question should be “Why shouldn’t I?”

I'm so proud to be associated with someone like Claudia.

Look for upcoming profiles on the other campaign sponsors. We have several commited and several who are considering the proposal.

Desi circa 1947

Available at Ebay, it is a 4 record set.

Cuban Band Blasts Government (Update)

Porno Para Ricardo's Gorki Agula fearlessly blasts the Cuban government on a CNN video. He say's, "Communism is a total failure. Please--leftists of the world improve your Capitalism, don't choose Communism."

Watch it here.

**Update** As Ray says in his comment below, these guys are great and need our support! Visit their website.

H/T: The Real Cuba

Food Shortages in Venezuela

It's no exaggeration - and no Cuban-style hyperbole either- that Venezuela under "mini-me" Chavez is traveling down the same dark road that Cuba under castro has paved.

As further proof of this, a feature story in today's El Nuevo Herald addresses food shortages in many Venezuelan supermarkets. Lack of sugar, beef, milk, eggs, rice, beans...you know, the essentials.

I apologize for not translating the article for our non-Spanish reading visitors, but here's a summary:

- According to a poll of 1,300 people conducted by private firm Datanalisis, 73 percent admitted having difficultied finding sugar; 52 percent had problems finding beef, and more than 45 percent could not find powdered milk and chicken.

- The cause? A simple lack of supply to meet demand. Last year, demand increased 18.8 percent while the gross domestic product was only 10.3 percent.

- During the first trimester of 2007, the rate of consumption has risen 18.5 percent, up from the 15 percent during the same time period in 2005 and 2006.

- In an effort to resolve this problem, the government has, among other things, removed taxes on certain goods. Nevertheless, the situation appears to be getting worse.

Here's a quote from Mirian Ramos, a 69-year-old retiree:

This is a disaster, there are no eggs, no powdered milk, nothing. To go out to the supermarket, I need to wear low-heeled shoes because you have to walk a lot in order to get what I want. This is a disaster. I need skim milk, and since I can't find any, I've been drinking calcium with water. This already resembles Cuba.

El che for babies

Like cockroaches, merchandise imprinted with that image of che just won't die. It's one thing when some useful idiot like Santana dons the image, as an adult, it's his choice, he has the right to be as stupid and offensive as he wants.

But this, this is an abomination:

How chic, how en vogue, to clothe your baby with the image of a mass murderer. Why not hitler? I want to see a onesie with images of el paredón, or the ovens. I want to see che merchandise bearing the real image of el che; show the blood and the bodies, and then let them dress their children if they dare. Make them own the image they worship, make them know the truth.

See it for yourself at babesta.


Contact them here:

CONTACT US:
Main Contact : Babesta, LLC
Phone : +1 212 608–4522
Fax : +1 212 504–8107
Email : Sales@babesta.com
Address : 56 Warren Street
Suite 400 East
New York, NY, 10007
United States

Press Inquiries : press@babesta.com


H/T: Humberto Fontova

And speaking of Cuban coffee...

...because we were, you know.

How many bloggers out there can say that they have their own special blend of premium, gourmet expresso coffee?

The folks at Contra Cafe have graciously created this expresso blend and packaging for us and will be donating proceeds after expenses to the Cuba Nostalgia convention fund.

So, if you appreciate a good cuppa Jose in the morning and you havent been able to help out with the Convention this year and wish to do so, now's the time. Each one pound bag is $10, shipping included. You can use the PayPal button on the sidebar or if you prefer to pay by check, email me for an address. If you use the Paypal button, be sure to provide an address and specify that your donation is for the cafe.

The entrepeneurial spirit of Miami

If you've driven anywhere in Dade County, there's no doubt you've seen the street vendors at major intersections. You can buy anything from them these days, from flowers to churros to peanuts to peeled oranges to mamoncillos to bottled water to inflatable Spidermans. Those vendors brave the heat and traffic daily just to sell a few things and hopefully make a buck or two.

But early this morning my buddy Ef calls me from his car while on his way to work: "Dude," he says to me and I can tell he's smiling by the sound of his voice. "I have seen it all."

I ask what he means, he says "I'm stopped at a light near the Palmetto expressway and up ahead there's this big truck parked on the side of the road. On the back of the truck I can see girl."

"Go on, go on" I say. This is getting interesting.

"As I get closer I see she's doing something back there on the truck."

Now, it's like 6:30 in the morning, mind you. You dont see many people out on the street corners peddling stuff that early.

"She's real busy on the back of the truck. I see her moving around quite a bit."

He pauses for a second, lets out a slight laugh.

"And there's a few people in traffic in front of me holding dollar bills out there car windows."

At this point, Im starting to think the girl is advertising some gentlemen's club or something.

"Then," my buddy continues. "There's like two or three guys going from car to car picking up the bills and going to the back of the truck. A few seconds later they're running back to the cars with something in their hands."

"As I get next to the truck," he says. "I finally realize what the hell their selling out here in the side of the road from the back of a truck. Take a guess what it is."

"I havent the faintest idea what it could be."

He laughs again, clears his throat and says "Theyre selling freaken coladas. They making Cuban coffee from a machine mounted on the back of the truck. On Bird Road and the Palmetto, at 6 in the morning, making and selling cafe cubano from the back of a truck parked on the side of the road."

It takes a minute to sink in, but when it does I say the only thing that comes to mind while my buddy Ef says the exact same thing at the exact same time:

"Freaken' Cubans!"

A Friday Funny

There was this fried egg walking down the street, minding its own business.

Suddenly, it hears some noise behind it, turns around, and sees a crowd of hungry Cubans in the distance bearing down on it. It runs away as fast as its little fried egg legs will go. During the run for his very life the egg sees a steak. It yells to the steak, "Run away! Run away! They'll get you too!"

But the steak just stands there and laughs and says, "Heh. They won't even recognize me."

"There are too many negative stories."

Via Child of the Revolution, former Havana correspondent for the Chicago Tribune Gary Marx talks to The Nation over his expulsion from the island:

That was then. Two months ago, Marx was called into the Cuban International Press Center (CPI) and told his five-year stint as a correspondent in Cuba had come to an end. "The bottom line was basically this," Marx told me. "[CPI director José Luis Ponce] said to me, 'This is nothing personal, this is business. Our overseas image is very important to us. We weighed your positive stories against your negative stories. There are too many negative stories. We think we can do better with someone else.'"

Read the whole excellent thing right here.

ENCACA

We mentioned ENCASA's latest efforts to kowtow to the Cuban governments wishes on last nights radio show. There is an unyielding and prolific propaganda campaign in Cuba right now calling for the extradition of Posada-Carriles and ENCASA - apparently having no concern for the multitudes of lives taken by fidel castro and his regime - are echoing the Cuban government's machinations.

Below the fold you'll find proof that ENCASA is nothing more and nothing less than a mouthpiece for the Cuban government in exile, in their own words.

April 24, 2007

Background: Fact sheet on the Posada Carriles case

Dear ENCASA members:

The Steering Committee proposes to make a statement for ENCASA on the urgent issue of Posada Carriles. A draft of the statement is attached. It calls for Posada to be extradited to Venezuela or to be tried here in the US for the serious crimes of which he is accused, in particular the 1976 explosion in mid-air of a civilian airliner resulting in the death of 73 people.

The basis for taking that position is that, under international treaties applicable to the US as a signer, the US must respond to an extradition petition by extraditing the accused, or, if it determines not to do so, try him here when the crimes charged in the other country are also crimes under US law. That is clearly the case in this instance. Further, the accusations are supported by abundant evidence, some of it from declassified documents of the CIA and FBI.

Here are some facts:

-- Posada has been connected to the explosion of the plane by CIA cables and the confessions of his two accomplices. He faces an outstanding arrest warrant for 73 counts of murder in Venezuela.

-- The FBI linked him with a plot to overthrow the government of Guatemala. The CIA connected him with an attempt to attack a Soviet freighter in Mexico. He has been connected with a variety of terrorist actions over the years involving mainly his specialty, explosives.

-- He has bragged of having sponsored the bombings in Cuban tourist locales, as a result of which an Italian man was killed and others wounded. He contracted Salvadoran hitmen to carry the explosives into Cuba for him, and they have testified to that effect.

-- He was personally involved in the attempted assassination of Fidel Castro in Panama when the latter was scheduled to speak at the National University. Posada planned to blow up an auditorium full of people. Panamanian police were tipped off, and he eventually ended up in prison on reduced charges of carrying explosives. He was pardoned by ex-president Mireya Moscoso at the very end of her term, after which she retired to live the good life in Miami. She had been approached publicly by Miami Congresspeople to pardon the gang. Shortly before, Colin Powell, then Sec. of State, had flown to Panama to meet with her. All of the Cubans in Posada’s group were pardoned; one Panamanian was not and was left in prison.

-- The Cubans except Posada went from Panama directly to Miami, where they were welcomed as heroes. Posada at first disappeared from view, hiding in Honduras, but eventually showed up in Miami. After weeks during which his presence there was an open secret, while the US government, with it many sources in Miami, denied any knowledge of it, he pressed the issue by holding a press conference. He was then detained and charged with illegal entry.

-- Posada had traveled to the tip of Yucatan and, at Isla Mujeres, met associates from Miami who were sailing under the guise of a marine educational foundation. As was documented by the Mexican newspaper ¡Por Esto!, they then sailed directly to Miami. At an immigration interview, Posada declared that he had sailed west across the Gulf to the north of Mexico, and had entered the US through Texas and taken a bus to Miami. The US defended that explanation until much later when it became impossible to do so.

-- Posada asked for citizenship, but his record did not support the petition. At a deportation hearing, an immigration judge decided that Posada could not be deported to Venezuela because he could be tortured there. That conclusion was based solely on assurances given the judge by an “expert witness,” who turned out to be Posada’s former supervisor at Venezuelan intelligence, his business partner, and his associate in undercover operations. The government attorney made no challenge to the “expert” designation and rolled over. A few other countries consulted declined to take him. Thus, while deportable, Posada had no place to which the US could deport him. Under the law, as was established with the cases of the Cuban balseros, he would eventually have to be freed.

-- As his case gained notoriety, the US was forced to do something to justify its not even responding to the Venezuelan request for extradition. The US charged Posada with lying to immigration officials. That case is still to be heard. In the meantime, the judge said, because he could not be deported, he would be set free unless the government classified him as a terrorist or other dangerous category such that he had to remain in jail. The US did not do that. Instead, at the end of a time period set by the judge, it transferred Posada from immigration jail to the Justice Department and federal prison, thus avoiding setting him free, but also not extraditing him, not trying him for the crimes of which he is accused, and not calling him a terrorist.

-- On April 19, 2007, Posada was released on bond prior to trial.

If he goes to trial, now set for May 11, it is highly possible that he will be given a minor sentence for the immigration violations, and subsequently set free.

While the Posada case has become an internationally-reported matter, the State Department has been in negotiations with other countries about him, and close associates of his have met with US officials--including the President--about his case, the Administration continues to act as if all actions in his case were taking place through standard proceedings without political intervention, in spite of an obvious steering of the case from the highest levels.

Editorials at leading newspapers have called for the extradition of Posada, as has the chief of the OAS and other international authorities. At present, a petition led by world-renowned writers and personalities in all fields, which as of this writing had accumulated almost 1900 signatures, calls on the US to try Posada for his crimes.

We believe that ENCASA must take a public stand in support of extradition or trial, for the reasons in the draft statement. Please let us know whether you have any doubts or concerns as to the statement. We also will be glad to know that you support it.

Attention bloggers, your assistance is requested

While blogging about Cuba is been very rewarding from a personal standpoint it is also very frustrating because our enemy, the castro regime, has a very well-funded and organized propaganda machine. In short, he has the best public relations organization that money can buy, and it includes highly placed academics, journalists, politicians and bureaucrats in the US! Every day I receive news alerts from the international media via email that are literally the same exact lines that come out of the official regime mouthpieces like Prensa Latina and Granma.

The exile community is more than 2 million people strong but we are not organized nor do we speak with one voice like the regime. As a result, we are simply losing this war of the words. After some thought I have come to the conclusion that while our work, and that of our colleagues, is important, we can accomplish much more by being smarter about what what we do and how we do it. We have therefore created an organization called Bloggers United for Cuban Liberty (BUCL).



The following FAQ should tell you everything you need to know about BUCL right now.

What is Bloggers United for Cuban Liberty?
It’s a group whose mission is it is to pool resources and ideas to promote a free Cuba to the news media.

How can BUCL achieve it’s mission, isn’t that what we are all trying to do already?
Yes we are trying to get our side of the story out there so that hopefully the news media can pick it up but individually we have a lot less power than as a group. A group is more powerful than the sum of its individual parts.

I don’t get it, what can BUCL do that we aren’t doing now?
For one thing, we can focus on a singles issue for a predetermined amount of time. For another we can afford to do things by chipping in financially that we would never be able to afford individually.

There are other such groups of Cuba bloggers, isn't this something one of them can do?
Technically yes, they can do it. But we have very defined ideas about what should be done and how and we don't want to force our ideas on any existing group. Anyone that belongs to such groups is welcome at BUCL.

I’m starting to see, but how exactly is this going to work?
We have set up a home base for the group at BUCL.org This new blog will be the clearing house for information about well-defined “campaigns” that further the mission of getting the mainstream media to cover the reality of the Cuban situation.

Can you give me an example of what one of these campaigns might be like?
We might, for example, hold a candlelight vigil for the Cuban political prisoners in a very visible place and hold a press conference. This would be a relatively inexpensive campaign. Other campaigns may cost more.

You mentioned costs, is it going to cost me anything to participate as a campaign sponsor?
Many times the answer will be yes. Each campaign will be preceded by a campaign proposal, soliciting sponsors, detailing the idea and exactly how it will work and how much it will cost. Because it’s easier to afford certain things as a group, those willing to participate as blog sponsors for a campaign will donate an amount that is pre-set for each campaign. Each campaign has a different circumstance and a different approach. Some will only require a candle and a presence for a vigil or silent protest. Some may require the purchase of an ad space, for example, in newspaper from a state where the governor is heading to Cuba to negotiate a trade deal. It all depends on the objective of the campaign.

What do I get in exchange for the sponsorship donation?
First of all you’ll have the satisfaction of knowing that you did something rather than just writing about it because your funds will go toward an act not an idea. Additionally, each campaign will have its own sponsor logo. Sponsors will be provided with the official sponsor logo to post on their blogs or sites. Ideally that logo will link back to the BUCL blog, where each sponsor will have a blog post written about its participation in the campaign. The BUCL blog sidebar will have section called Active Campaign Sponsors where the sponsor blog logos and links will be posted. All campaign sponsors will be mentioned in all campaign related press materials including press releases and media alerts.

Will sponsors have any input on campaign ideas or modifications?
Yes, we will take any serious suggestions to heart but we will have the final say in what gets done and when.

That sounds a little egotistical, who died and made you king of the bloggers?
Nobody. The reason why we need to have the last word is for the sake of practicality. We simply can’t have 100 chiefs and no Indians. These campaigns are going to be well thought-out and many are going to be time sensitive. We can’t waste time or energy trying to build consensus. Such efforts often lead to paralysis and BUCL is about taking actions.

That doesn’t sound like a democracy?
Well it is democratic because you will have an opportunity to review each campaign proposal, just like you would ballot initiatives in an election and decide whether you want it or not. Nobody is going to force or pressure you to become a campaign sponsor. You can sponsor those campaigns you like and decline those you don’t like.

What happens during a campaign?
During a campaign any campaign-related media hits will be linked to or posted about on the BUCL blog. Progress will be constantly updated on the blog. Sponsor bloggers and non-sponsor friends of BUCL will be encouraged to blog about the campaign to create a “surround sound” effect in the blogosphere.

What happens when a campaign ends?
As soon as a campaign ends a new campaign proposal will be made available to potential sponsors. The sponsor logos on the sidebar of the BUCL blog will be removed to make way for those who decide to sponsor the new campaign.

Who is behind BUCL and why should I trust them?
Real people are behind it. Mainly Val Prieto and myself (Henry Gomez). I have been blogging about Cuba for more than two years and Val for more than four years. We’re not going anywhere. In fact you can meet us at Cuba Nostalgia or other events. If a campaign fails it will be because of unforeseen circumstances such as unpredictable world or local events that can change the focus of the news media (like a big fire or similar event) but not for a lack of effort or because of fraud. We will disclose all campaign costs to sponsors and issue refunds for unused sponsorship dollars or provide credit toward a future campaign.

Does one have to be a blogger to be a campaign sponsor?
No, anyone can sponsor a campaign however some of the benefits of being a sponsor are very attractive to bloggers and webmasters because they will result in incremental traffic to their blogs and sites. There will be a special section recognizing non-blogger/webmaster sponsors if they wish to have their names publicized. Also one can make a donation for less than the sponsorship amount if they just want to chip in what they can to help. Of course, those donations will be anonymous.

I’m excited about seeing this in action, when is the first campaign?
The first campaign is already well into the planning stages and is set to kick off during Cuba Nostalgia in May. The sponsor cost of the campaign is going to be $100. I believe this will be one of the more expensive campaigns to participate in but also one of the more impactful ones. If you would like a copy of the campaign proposal please email me and tell me which blog you represent. Don't rule out participating until you see the proposal.

Why don’t you just disclose the campaign proposal here, right now?
Because there’s a couple of details that need to be ironed out and also because we don’t want the news media to pick up on our group or our plan prematurely.

ABC'S Bob Woodruff going to Cuba

Got a question for fidel?

ABC's Bob Woodruff is going to Cuba-- send him your question or comment and he'll bring it to the people and government of this communist carribean nation.

Send them here.

The Hypocrisy of Some African-American "Leaders"

The photo below is the last photograph taken - on April 11of this year - of Oscar Sánchez Madam along with Marta Beatriz Roque before Madam was taken two days later by Cuban State Security, incarcerated and found guilty, via a secret "trial" and sentenced to 4 years imprisonment. His crime? Peligrosidad - "dangerousness."

As you can see, Mr. Madam is black. I wonder how Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, the NAACP, Pastor's for Peace, Harry Belafonte, Danny Glover, Charles Rangel, etal, would react if an African-American man were taken from his home, tried secretly and sentenced to jail time for "dangerousness"?

Hat tip: Stefania

Hot dogs and peanuts and Cracker Jacks...

Pelotero a la bola....

So Major League Baseball is looking to make some deals with Cuba, eh?

Only advice I can offer them, in the words of my little league coach:

"Espera la tuya...and dont swing at the first pitch."

Fraud? From the environmental movement? No way!!!

Carbon offsets.

One of the new chic things in the twenty-first century for a certifiable "green" lifestyle. Al Gore buys them. Hell, he's the chairman of the company that sells them. What are they? A new form of an "indulgence," the old practice of the Roman Catholic Church whereby you could "buy" your way out of sin. (If only that were true.) That practice precipitated a small revolt by a little-known priest by the name of Martin Luther in the late 1500s. It seems he sort of objected to the blatant dishonesty of promising salvation in exchange for luchre.

Today, an entire industry has been born to sell and trade "carbon offsets" here and in Europe. Presumably, these offsets allow a person or firm to continue functioning in a less than green way while "paying the piper" for their sins. But all is not well in the carbon offset industry. The bloom on the (green) rose may be off, and the fraudulent realities of the practice may be finally kicking in. From The Financial Times:

■ Widespread instances of people and organisations buying worthless credits that do not yield any reductions in carbon emissions.

■ Industrial companies profiting from doing very little – or from gaining carbon credits on the basis of efficiency gains from which they have already benefited substantially.

■ Brokers providing services of questionable or no value.

■ A shortage of verification, making it difficult for buyers to assess the true value of carbon credits.

■ Companies and individuals being charged over the odds for the private purchase of European Union carbon permits that have plummeted in value because they do not result in emissions cuts.

Today, BabaluBlog proudly announces the sale of Stupidity Offsets that can provide the journalists, apologists and fans of fidel the ability to assuage their inability to grasp reality. At $100 a pop, we think these are a great value.

Maybe Algore will have something to say about this scandal on tonight's Babalu Radio Hour.

Blog Ajiaco

Bust out the spoons, another link filled ajiaco:

- Vaclav Havel and Lech Walesa in Germany to attend International Committee for Democracy in Cuba.

- When you complete your prison sentence, it's called being released, not being freed.

- Snow plows are good for more than just shovelling snow.

- A letter to Charles "I loves me some fidel" Rangel.

- What was given is gone.

- Pobrecitas?... Ahem.

- And speaking of travel to Cuba....

- Austrain Bank stops serving Cuba. Cuban government crying over spilled milk.

- The MSM biased when it comes to Cuba? No me digas.

- Beware the Ides of Moringas!

- fidel castro:fit a a fiddle?

- Mayday! Mayday! fidel missing May Day.

- And finally this one, for extra credit.

Quick announcements and Cuba Nostalgia

Just a couple of quick announcements and a Cuba Nostalgia Update:

First, Cuba Nostalgia:

I just received confirmation of the Babalú Pavilion location. This year, we'll be next to the Malecon exhibit and directly across from the El Encanto exhibit. We'll also be neighbors with the - gasp! - Miami Herald and their exhibit and directly across from us will be Los Pollitos.

Contributions so far - a HUGE thanks to all that have supported the effort - tally a little less than three thousand which is enough to hopefully put on a good show. I've heard from quite a few folks around the country that tell me they've coordinated their yearly Miami visit with the convention so they can spend some time with us atthe exhibit and take in all the convention has to offer.

If you've purchased Humberto Fontova's books and are planning a visit to the convention, be sure to bring them along as Humberto will be with us signing books. If you havent yet purchased the Che book and are going to the convention, hold off. Im told that his publishers will be sending copies to be available for sale at the book signing.

We will be doing the Babalu Radio Hour each day from the convention floor which will be a lot of fun and definitely interesting. Who knows who may turn up as a guest.

I'd like to toss in a quick plug for Cuban Crafters Gigars, who have donated a few bundles of their finest smokes for Babalú as they have in years past. If you appreciate a good Cuban seed, expertly rolled cigar, then Cuban Crafters is the way to go.

Still working on a couople things for the convention, specifically the ability to stream live video from the convention floor. We've had web cams before, but they really arent the same as being able to see teh feed live and unfetterred.

On another note, I just recieved an awesome care package from Babalú readers Liliana and Armando Q from Texas, with not only a donation, but three commemorative Cuban Grand Prix tshirts that I will wear with pride and with an accompanying write up on the Grand Prix races held in Cuba. Gracias Lili and Armando!

And now, back to our scheduled commie bashing...

The Babalu Radio Hour

Due to unforeseen conditions - mainly the two painkillers I just took for a really really bad toothache that will probably zombify me - Henry and I will be hosting the Babalu Radio Hour tomorrow night at 8 PM instead of tonights usual 8 PM slot.

I apologithe for any inconvenienth thith may cauth and hope thath you will join uth tomorrow for the show.

Mysterious ways indeed.

I'm waiting to meet a Project Manager outside a dining facility where our office is doing some architectural work today and the guy calls and says he's running late so I decide to chill out and have a smoke while I wait. I walk over to a corner of the building and there's a really tall black guy, about mid sixties sitting there having a cigarette. He's on break as he has a dining facility uniform on. I light up, make chit chat with the old man.

"You know," I say. "Smoking'll stunt your growth."

He smiles, says "Make you die young too."

"Well, what good is living a long time if you cant enjoy your vices."

He smiles again and says "True. Very tr..."

Suddenly this tall, leggy beautiful blonde in her early twenties walks out of the dining facility. We both try not to look at her but man, she's wearing really high heels and a very short - and I mean short - skirt. The girl has legs that just wont quit.

She stops about six or eight feet in front of us, digs into her purse and pulls out a cigarette. The old man and I are basically just pretending to each other that we're not actually admiring the...um...vision in front of us.

The girl digs back into her purse and pulls out a lighter and as she's transfering hands to light the smoke she drops it. The old man and I think the same thing at the same time - here let me get that for you - but neither one of us acts on it as we're not actually supposed to be watching her.

Then this tall, high heeled leggy blonde with massive legs just bends over right in front of us - apparently, her knees arent working properly - and we are basically the recipeints of a major major flash. I dont mean to sound crass or disrespectful, but talk about filo! You could partically see her tonsils. The old man's eyes, like mine, are like golfballs.

The old man and I then look at each other with the exact same grin. I have to hold a burst of laughter.

The girl lights up, sticks the lighter back in her purse and goes on her merry way.

We both look at the girl, then back at each other and then the old man smiles, nods, and says "God sure does work in mysterious ways, dont he?"

Indeed.

Cubanophobia?

Perhaps.

This is a must read.

Break out the snow plows!

Cuba ejects US fugitive, sends him back to Florida.

Maybe Henry was right: It is snowing in Havana.

Is it snowing in Havana?

Has hell frozen over?

In a sure sign that the apocalypse is approaching, The Miami Herald has published an editorial today about Luis Posada Carriles that I actually agree with.

Posada benefits from U.S. rule of law
OUR OPINION: SUSPICIONS ALONE CAN'T JUSTIFY INDEFINITE DETENTION

The release of Luis Posada Carriles, after nearly two years of detention, is affirmation that under U.S. democracy, the law is supreme. Mr. Posada is no saint. He has been accused, but not convicted, of terrorism. The United States doesn't -- and shouldn't -- convict people on suspicion alone. Mr. Posada, 79, has never been convicted of a terrorist charge, here or abroad. Thus, a federal judge in El Paso ordered him released and set a very high bond. That was the right call.

The U.S. Justice Department called him ''an admitted mastermind of terrorist plots.'' But the actual charges against Mr. Posada are for fraud. He is accused of lying in an attempt to gain U.S. citizenship. The Justice Department argued that he was a flight risk and should be imprisoned pending his criminal trial on May 11. But U.S. District Court Judge Kathleen Cardone didn't buy it.

Detained past limit

Mind you, before prosecutors charged Mr. Posada with a crime, he already had been in immigration detention for 20 months, well beyond the six-month limit set by the U.S. Supreme Court for releasing a foreigner who hasn't been deported. An immigration judge had barred the government from deporting him to Cuba or Venezuela because he might be tortured. Moreover, the feds haven't found another country willing take him.

Now, after paying $350,000 bond, Mr. Posada wears an ankle bracelet and is under 24-hour house arrest in Kendall, a far cry from the four decades he spent trying to topple Fidel Castro and working as an intelligence operative.

Probes continue

Mr. Posada remains a suspect in the 1976 bombing of a Cuban passenger jet that killed 73 and in the 1997-98 bombings of Cuban tourist sites that killed an Italian visitor. But he hasn't been convicted in either case. More recently, he was tried in connection with an alleged Castro assassination plot in Panama, which ultimately resulted in a lesser conviction for endangering public safety. He was pardoned in 2005.

Now a grand jury in New Jersey is investigating Mr. Posada for possible financial ties in connection with the tourist-site bombings. No indictments have been issued. It is possible that the Justice Department has been trying to keep Mr. Posada detained while it prepares a real terrorist case against him. If the U.S. government wants to punish him, it should build a solid case and convict him.

We object to Mr. Posada's views. He advocates overthrowing Cuba's dictatorship by any means necessary, including violence against civilians. But righteous ends do not justify illicit means. That's why even Mr. Posada must get the due process provided by the U.S. rule of law.

Does anyone believe this?

Day after day, there is story after endless friggin story from the Cuban state press about how recovered fidel is. Once again, Washington chimes in.

Excerpt from the Ledger-Enquirer:

Castro migrates to elder-statesman role in Cuba
By Pablo Bachelet

WASHINGTON - Fidel Castro's health is improving and the 80-year-old leader increasingly is involved in Cuba's foreign affairs, but he's unlikely ever to take full command again, a senior U.S. intelligence official said Tuesday.

The comments suggesting that Castro is settling into an elder-statesmen role come after China's Xinhua news agency reported that Castro was in a hospital when he met Friday with a top Beijing delegation.

The Cuban government released photos of Castro at the meeting, looking healthier than in previous appearances and wearing a track suit. But Xinhua's mention of the hospital suggested that Castro's health is still precarious after his announcement last July 31 that he'd undergone surgery for an undisclosed intestinal ailment.

The U.S. intelligence official said the photos themselves suggested that while Castro may indeed be recuperating, he's not out of the woods.

"An 80-year-old man who's gone (from public appearances) nine months and still wears a track suit when he meets with foreign dignitaries suggests this is an extremely serious illness still," the official said in a briefing for two journalists who cover Cuban issues.

All I can say to these "intelligence" officials is to do the math. No one except allied communist officials have seen or spoken with fidel castro in 8 1/2 months.

As Bob Dylan once sang, "You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows."

A Shredding

James Taranto of the Wall Street Journal's Opinion Journal literally shreds AP "reporter" Will Weisert's piece on Cuba this week:

BY JAMES TARANTO Tuesday, April 24, 2007 12:33 p.m. EDT

Red Alert
Will Weissert, Havana correspondent of the Associated Press, takes a tough, skeptical look at the government he has been assigned to cover. Well, no, he doesn't. Actually it's a puff piece:

"Fidel: 80 More Years," proclaim the good wishes still hanging on storefront and balcony banners months after Cubans celebrated their leader's 80th birthday. Fidel Castro may be ailing, but he's a living example of something Cubans take pride in--an average life expectancy roughly similar to that of the United States.

And if the CIA says it, it must be true:

Cuba's average life expectancy is 77.08 years--second in Latin America after Puerto Rico and more than 11 years above the world average, according to the 2007 CIA World Fact Book.

It says Cuban life expectancy averages 74.85 years for men and 79.43 years for women, compared with 75.15 and 80.97 respectively for Americans.

Weissert doesn't tell us the source of the CIA's information. Do these numbers come from Cuba's totalitarian regime, and if so, shouldn't we automatically take them with a grain of salt? There are some obvious questions a serious reporter might want to ask about these numbers. The most obvious one: Do they include people who die trying to escape?

Two years ago we took the New York Times's Nick Kristof to task for a bogus claim that the U.S. infant-mortality rate is no better than Cuba's and far worse than those of other advanced countries. It turns out the reason for this is that American physicians are alone in making heroic efforts to save premature infants, who in other countries would be discarded and never even be recorded as having been born. The higher prevalence of death at age zero would have a downward effect on America's life expectancy.

Just how biased is Weissert's piece in favor of Cuba's communist dictatorship? Consider this quote:

"Sometimes you have all you want to eat and sometimes you don't," said Raquel Naring, a 70-year-old retired gas station attendant. "But there aren't elderly people sleeping on the street like other places."

If an old American lady told a reporter, "Sometimes you have all you want to eat and sometimes you don't," is there any doubt he would write a story bewailing our country's shocking neglect of the elderly, poor and hungry? Why are American journalists more favorably disposed toward an America-hating communist personality cult than their own country?

H/T Lee.

HAHAHAHA, HOHOHOHO

HAHAHAHAHA:

Cuba: May Day against Terrorism

Havana, Apr 23 (Prensa Latina) Cuban workers are preparing for a May 1st day of marches against terrorism and in rejection of the US decision to free the international terrorist Luis Posada Carriles.

HOHOHOHOHO:

Raul Castro voices Cuba's support for Iran's nuclear stance

Cuba's acting president Raul Castro said in Havana Monday night that support for Iran's stance on its peaceful nuclear activities was among his country's fixed policies.

Castro made the remark in a meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki before the latter wound up his week-long visit to Latin American states.

Cuba will stand shoulder to shoulder with Iran in the face of any threat, Castro stressed.

Humberto Fontova on Hannity and Colmes Tonight (Updated)

***Updated***

Once again, just heard from Humberto:

Recall the careful wording of my message yesterday:.....: "Probably within the next coupla nights I'll be on Hannity & Colmes. If you're a regular watcher of the show you'll probably see me. Thank you very much for your interest.

And INDEED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I was JUST notified that it's only being TAPED tonight! To be shown "later in the week."

Fontova nos embarco OTRA VEZ!!

Tonight, Tuesday April 24, 9PM EST, Humberto Fontova will appear on Fox's Hannity & Colmes discussing his new book, "Exposing The Real Che Guevarra: And the Useful Idiots Who Idolize Him." It should be a lively discussion about the myths and legends surrounding the Argentine icon such as these:

•How Che longed to destroy New York City with nuclear missiles.

• How Che promoted book burning and signed death warrants for authors who disagreed with him.

• How Che made amazingly racist statements about blacks.

• How Che persecuted gays, long-haired rock and roll fans, and religious people.

• How Che, the devoted communist, loved material wealth and private luxuries.

Someone expressed concern that one of the shows host's might be hostile towards Mr. Fontova. Have no worry; the incontrovertible Humberto Fontova wrote the book on wooly thinking TV personalities.

I hate to say I told you so, but....

Remember that teenager that missed his mommie so much last year that he decided to leave his father here in exile and return to Cuba? Well, guess what?

Heeeee's baaaaack.

This despite all that free healthcare, 100% literacy, low infant mortality rate, new chinese rice cookers, energy saving lightbulbs, the chance to be the perfect "New Man", and other "excellent social services."

PSA

It seems comments are down at the moment so please bear with us as we look for the issue and correct the problem.

Comments should be back up soon.

Sorry for the Inconvenience.

Exploiting Children

This article offends on so many different levels, but most egregious is the photo below, showing an innocent child’s flesh being used for a political statement. I don't care if this boy's parents think it's wonderful--and if that's the case, then it is one more symptom of castro's debasement of a once moral civil society. A che image on the arm of a child? I wonder, do they collect dollars for the photos?

The whole article is nothing more than propaganda willingly served up by another useful idiot who...drum roll...has been to Cuba ...twice.

This excerpt says it all:

Growing up under socialism has freed the young generation in Cuba to think about more important things. One 30-something guy I spoke to complained that he had no money. That he had to work side jobs just to make ends meet. (I failed to mention that millions of Americans do the same).

But I asked him what he would do with more money.

“I’d take a trip,” he told me.

It was not about new cars or bigger houses for him. He just wanted to go somewhere and see something.

That’s one freedom that I cherish. Traveling and seeing how things work in other places in the world.

"There are two freedoms - the false, where a man is free to do what he likes; the true, where he is free to do what he ought. ~ Charles Kingsley

Cuban gets 12 years for anti-Castro graffiti

A little over a week ago, U.S. Reps. Rangel & Flake, said raul castro has allowed a debate over past repression to open up in Cuba's cultural sector, suggesting that it's a new freer day in Cuba. In fact, raul has been clamping down on dissidents. There have been increased arrests, threats, trials and sentencing without due process.

From Reuters:

HAVANA (Reuters) - A Cuban dissident who wrote "Down with Fidel Castro" and other opposition slogans on walls of public buildings was sentenced to 12 years in jail, a human rights group said on Monday.

Rolando Jimenez had been held without charges in a jail on the Island of Youth off Cuba's southern coast since his arrest in March 2003, the Cuban Commission for Human Rights said.

Amnesty International declared Jimenez a prisoner of conscience in 2004.

Jimenez, a 36-year-old lawyer, was not allowed to defend himself in court and was sentenced in a secret trial to 12 years for disrespecting the Cuban leader and divulging secrets of the state security police, the rights group said.

Veteran rights activist Elizardo Sanchez, who heads the illegal but tolerated commission, said Jimenez was the second dissident to be tried secretly this month by Cuba's communist authorities.

"This is a clear sign than they are getting tough on dissident activity again," Sanchez said.

Dissident journalist Oscar Sanchez, who reported for a Miami-based Web site called CubaNet, was arrested at his home April 13 and sentenced to four years in jail on a charge of "social dangerousness," he said.

He was not allowed a lawyer and his family was barred from attending the brief trial in the town of Matanzas, unlike previous cases of dissident trials, Sanchez said.

In a March 2003 crackdown, Cuba rounded up 75 dissidents and tried them for collaborating with the United States. Only 16 have been freed, for medical reasons.

Castro's government, in power since a 1959 revolution, says there are no political prisoners in Cuba and labels dissidents "counter-revolutionary mercenaries" on Washington's payroll.

Cigar Aficio..what?

I recieved a pdf copy of the articles in this June's Cigar Aficionado last week - sent to me by alert reader Barbara E. Believe me when I say this, once you read the articles contained in the special "CUBA Tomorrow" issue, not only will you be incensed, but you'll feel the way you did as a little kid when you stole and smoked your uncle's torpedo - green to the gills and sick to your stomach. I honestly meant to blog on it, but havent had time to do it justice.

Cuba Watch, though, took Cigar Aficionado to task today, along with Charles "I Love Me Some fidel" Rangel, Sol Melia hotels and...well...read the post yourselves right here.

Make sure you drop by, he's also got the contact info for the magazine up. I suggest you drop them a line and tell them to stop blowing smoke up our asses.

Watch Humberto Fontova on Hannity & Colmes (Updated)

**Bumped to top and updated!**

Update: This just in from Humberto:

AGAIN!!!! Just like last time with O'Reilly!!--"Because of late-breakingnews" my H&C gig has been rescheduled for TOMORROW NIGHT!! (April 24) Now watch, tomorrow it'll probably be rescheduled AGAIN!! I'm putting out no more notices on these Fox gigs. I only unwittingly mislead people. But I'll try this one: "Probably within the next coupla nights I'll be on Hannity & Colmes. If you're a regular watcher of the show you'll probably see me. Thank you very much for your interest.

Humberto Fontova

***

Tonight, Monday April 23, 9PM EST, Humberto Fontova will appear on Fox's Hannity & Colmes discussing his new book, "Exposing The Real Che Guevarra: And the Useful Idiots Who Idolize Him." It should be a lively discussion about the myths and legends surrounding the Argentine icon such as these:

•How Che longed to destroy New York City with nuclear missiles.

• How Che promoted book burning and signed death warrants for authors who disagreed with him.

• How Che made amazingly racist statements about blacks.

• How Che persecuted gays, long-haired rock and roll fans, and religious people.

• How Che, the devoted communist, loved material wealth and private luxuries.

Someone expressed concern that one of the shows host's might be hostile towards Mr. Fontova. Have no worry; the incontrovertible Humberto Fontova wrote the book on wooly thinking TV personalities.

Translation bleg

Two blegs: (1) Can someone confirm that this actually appeared in the El Mundo in Spain and that it's legitimate; (2) Can one of our trusty bilingual contributers or commenters translate this article? I want our English-speaking readers to experience the nausea first-hand.

(H/T Gabe)

To or For?

I think Henry pretty much covered the Sting and the Police to play in Cuba topic perfectly, but I want to offer my two cents here.

I've always been a huge fan of Sting and the Police. I saw them at the Orange Bowl during their Synchronicity tour and I have all of their albums and most of Stings solo works. Not only have I appreciated the music, but the lyrics to most of the songs have always spoken to me in one way or another.

Back in 1987 I first heard a song by Sting called "They Dance Alone." I remember I purchased the single which also came in a Spanish version and I played that song - both versions - almost on a 24/7 loop. I was living at my parents home during that time and I remember playing that song in Spanish for my mother. Surely, a song about mothers searching for their missing children would speak to her as profoundly as it spoke to me.

And I recall sitting there in my bedroom with my mom and listening to that tune and watching mom as she listened to the words for the first time. The song spoke to her as well, for as she listened intently, I could see her eyes begin to water, I could see her fidgeting with something she had in her hand. Then, before the tune was over, she stood up and said "Esta muy bonito" and she promptly walked out of my room. I was a bit dumbfounded and subsequently a bit peeved.

Why hadnt my mom liked the song? A song about mothers and sisters and wives dancing alone for their children and brothers and husbands had gone missing, disappeared by their government? Now, my parents never instilled politics or their political views in me and at the time, being that I was 22 and a bit rebellious in that I knew so much more than my parents about everything, but I truly believed that my mother had not appreciated that song in the way I did because it was critical of Pinochet.

That moment was the catalyst of much strife in my home for some time. I, after all, felt superior to my mom and dad because I believed that they didnt really care about those missing mentioned in the song simply because they werent of the corrrect ideological stripe. We had arguments, heated discussions. I thought my parents were too hardline, too intransingent, too self righteous.

And I played that song, in English and Spanish, 24/7 and at full blast for weeks always feeling I was better than my parents. Ideologically superior - not because I ever agreed with any sort of communism or socialism, but because I wouldnt let my political beliefs override what I felt was right. What was human. I was angry about my parent's apparent inability to grasp the human aspect of the issue for their ideology and I was going to rub it in their faces every chance I got. They were, after all , in my eyes, wrong.

One Saturday, on my way to work with my father, I popped the cassete with the endless loop of They Dance Alone into his truck car stereo and began singing along.

"I really wish you would stop playing that song," my old man said. "Give it a break for a while."

"Why should I?" I asked condescendingly. "Just because the song criticizes a person you may agree with doesnt mean the criticism isnt merited." I remember to this day the sarcasm I had used with my father.

The old man turned off the radio, looked over at me and said "You think your mom and I have a problem with that song because it criticizes Pinochet? Are you that stupid?"

"Are you calling me stupid now? Because I dont happen to see things your way?"

"No, so comemierdon," he said to me looking me right in the eyes. "Your mother doesnt like that song because she has lived it. She has seen everything that song mentions and much more. More than you will ever know or understand."

I cant describe how small I felt at that moment. How stupid and how comemierdon and I remember that time and that song precisely because it was a milestone for me. A benchmark in my life. One where I found a greater appreciation for what my parents had been through in their lives.

So when someone posted the lyrics to They Dance Alone coupled with Henry's post with photos of dead or missing people the other day I was more than moved. Because of the beauty of the lyrics, because of the profound sorrow at the loss of those lives, because some of those lives happen to be Cuban and because what my mother felt and experienced is still being felt and experienced in Cuba today.

Sting and the Police can go to Cuba and sing to the people of Cuba, but the question remains: Will they sing for them?

Better buy a bidet...

I guess Sheryl Crow, proud environmentalist (hence, liberal), has been thinking about what we can all do to save the planet. Here's a suggestion from her Biodiesel Blog dated April 19, courtesy The Washington Post:

(4/19, Springfield, Tenn.): I have spent the better part of this tour trying to come up with easy ways for us all to become a part of the solution to global warming. Although my ideas are in the earliest stages of development, they are, in my mind, worth investigating. One of my favorites is in the area of forest conservation which we heavily rely on for oxygen. I propose a limitation be put on how many squares of toilet paper can be used in any one sitting. Now, I don't want to rob any law-abiding American of his or her God-given rights, but I think we are an industrious enough people that we can make it work with only one square per restroom visit, except, of course, on those pesky occasions where 2 to 3 could be required.

Lance Armstrong is one lucky man.

Political prisoner released after 17 years in jail