Entries from August 2007

August 29, 2007

CUBAN EXILE TERRORIST: 1500 guns, Live Grenade, 35 Machine Guns and More!

In April 2006, police entered the home of Cuban exile, Robert Ferro. They found 1500 guns, 35 machine guns, 130 silencers, a live hand grenade, a rocket launcher tube and 89,000 rounds of ammunition. What was he doing with such an arms cache?
The answer can be found in comments he provided the [...]

August 26, 2007

CUBA: Casino Dancing and the Chinese Caballero

In describing the Cuban dance, Casino, many people say it is the Cuban form of salsa. But Casino’s strongest influences are a melange of many dances: rhumba, guanguanco, cha-cha-cha, pachanga, etc. If you did not learn Casino as a young child, getting the steps right will seem to take an eternity. [...]

August 23, 2007

HAITI: Video of Chavez’ Visit - March 2007

This is a terrific 30minute video that chronicles President Chavez’ visit to Haiti in March of this year. If you take the time to watch it you will not regret it. It begins with Chavez’ motorcade leaving the airport in Port-au-Prince and ends at the National Palace for a meeting with President Rene [...]

August 21, 2007

CUBA: Sen. Obama, Please Do Your Homework

I wish Senator Obama had never written the op-ed about his Cuba policy (see below), but it seems to be a pre-requisite for his upcoming campaign stop in Miami. From a content standpoint, there is precious little: Fidel bashing, “democracy” pushing, “freedom” delivering, and a faint possibility of easing travel restrictions for Cuban-Americans wishing to [...]

August 20, 2007

CUBA: CUBAN 5 - National Heroes with Supporters Around the World

When I was in Cuba a few years ago, I traveled from Santiago de Cuba to Havana, stopping in many towns along the way. I marveled at the beautiful billboards from which the faces of “Los Cincos” peered over the Cuban landscape. It was, and still is, obvious that the Cuban 5 are [...]

August 18, 2007

5 Cuban Men, 2 Cuban Wives, 2 US Visas, and 1 Very Long Ordeal

NOTICE: DON’T MISS THE FALL CAMPAIGN TO FREE THE CUBAN FIVE - SEPTEMBER 12 - OCTOBER 8 (go to www.freethefive.org for details and background on the case of the Five)
In addition to the disgraceful verdicts dealt the Cuban 5 by the US (in)justice system, the US government has chosen to make the lives for [...]

August 16, 2007

US Low-Intensity Warfare in Haiti - Haitians Resist

Amid numerous recent reports about Haiti which omit vital information and/or fail to provide appropriate context, it is good to have an on-the-ground account from a member of a recently returned delegation.
U.S. Low-Intensity Warfare in Haiti: Grassroots Movement Resists Attacks on Haiti’s Poor
by Leslie Mullin
Wednesday Aug 15th, 2007 11:26 AM
Report from a Haiti Action Committee [...]

August 16, 2007

HAITI: COHA’s Article - Sinful Omissions, Revisionist History and An Insult to the People of Haiti

It’s tough to know where to start with the latest article out of the Council on Hemispheric Affairs regarding Haiti, “Haiti’s Cautious Political Improvement, But the Aristide Question Remains,” because there is so much wrong with it. Its omission of facts critical to the understanding of the current political situation, re-arrangement of history like [...]

August 15, 2007

OYE! Chavez: Pro-poor, not anti-US

The Los Angeles Times is spending alot of time whipping up issues that don’t exist. A few weeks ago, the Times, pretending to report on actual dialogue, built the case for resurrection of the army in Haiti. The Haitian army was an instrument of state repression and, rather than defending the people of [...]

August 9, 2007

“RIGHTING THE WRONGS” - LET’S START WITH THE CUBAN FIVE

Recently, presidential candidates debated whether it is wise to talk to world leaders such as Fidel Castro, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Hugo Chavez, etc., whom the US government refers to variously as “dictators, tyrants,” etc. Watching the candidates challenge one another on what the process for engagement should be, I wondered what an actual meeting might be [...]